F1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND
THE SAUDI ARABIAN GP IN 5 KEY MOMENTS
1 Bearman earns bear hugs
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was held on the same weekend as the Oscars, so it was appropriate for one standout performance to be singled out for high praise. And it wasn’t Max Verstappen’s dominant win; instead the plaudits went to the unexpected Formula 1 debut of 18-year-old Oliver Bearman.
Charles Leclerc described his new team-mate’s weekend as “incredible”, team boss Frédéric Vassuer called it “mega”, while Lewis Hamilton lauded F1’s “future star” by describing his compatriot’s performance as “phenomenal.”
On the Thursday of the Jeddah event, Bearman had put his Prema-run Dallara F2 2024 on pole position for the Formula 2 race. Meanwhile Carlos Sainz, who had skipped the previous day’s media duties on account of illness, continued to ail. Fastforward 24 hours and Bearman suddenly found himself at the wheel of Sainz’s SF-24 when Carlos was rushed to hospital for an appendectomy.
This was a highly unusual set of circumstances for the Prancing Horse. For the record, the last driver to make his first F1 appearance at the wheel of a Ferrari was Arturo Merzario at the 1972 British Grand Prix. At 18 years, 10
