Record-breaking Brit F1 rookie Bearman claims seventh spot as Verstappen wins 9th in a row
March 11, 2024
It was a dream Formula 1 debut for British rookie Oliver Bearman (18), who was brought in on Friday to fill Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz’s seat at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after the Spaniard had been sidelined with appendicitis.
Bearman became the youngest British driver to start a Formula 1 race, and to cap off a great day he pulled off a seventh-place finish, earning him six points in the Drivers’ Championship.
“I think I put a good show for myself which is the main thing, right?” Bearman. said after the race. “Difficult circumstances, not a lot of laps on track, but I think I maximized everything today.”
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who finished in third place after the Red Bull one-two of Verstappen and Sergio Perez, had high praise for Bearman, who was voted by fans as the Driver of the Day.
“He completely deserves it. He has done an incredible job. To finish seventh in your first race in F1 in a new car is incredibly impressive “Everyone has noticed how talented he is,” said Leclerc.
The third-youngest driver to start an F1 race, Bearman’s performance introduces him into the Drivers’ Championship board in 10th place, one spot and two points behind fellow-Brit Lewis Hamilton, who shares joint-first-place with Michael Schumacher on the all-time F1 World Drivers’ Championship winners list.
“I felt like I was a bit quicker than (Fernando) Alonso and (George) Russell in front, but not enough to catch. I lost a lot of time trying to pass Hulkenberg, who used his experience to keep me back for more laps than he should have. That’s my bad but it was a good race,” said Bearman, who admitted that his maiden outing had been a challenge both mentally and physically. “Especially my lower back and neck are hurting – these seats take a bit of fine-tuning and we didn’t have time to focus on that. It was a good motivation to finish the race quicker.”
Defending champion Max Verstappen clinched his second win from this season’s first two races, an ominous sign that the Dutch Red Bull Racing star is headed for a fourth F1 title in a row. The 26-year-old has now won nine consecutive F1 races, and 19 from the last 20 if you look back to last season.
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Record-breaking Brit F1 rookie Bearman claims seventh spot as Verstappen wins 9th in a row
It was a dream Formula 1 debut for British rookie Oliver Bearman (18), who was brought in on Friday to fill Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz’s seat at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after the Spaniard had been sidelined with appendicitis.
Bearman became the youngest British driver to start a Formula 1 race, and to cap off a great day he pulled off a seventh-place finish, earning him six points in the Drivers’ Championship.
“I think I put a good show for myself which is the main thing, right?” Bearman. said after the race. “Difficult circumstances, not a lot of laps on track, but I think I maximized everything today.”
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who finished in third place after the Red Bull one-two of Verstappen and Sergio Perez, had high praise for Bearman, who was voted by fans as the Driver of the Day.
“He completely deserves it. He has done an incredible job. To finish seventh in your first race in F1 in a new car is incredibly impressive “Everyone has noticed how talented he is,” said Leclerc.
The third-youngest driver to start an F1 race, Bearman’s performance introduces him into the Drivers’ Championship board in 10th place, one spot and two points behind fellow-Brit Lewis Hamilton, who shares joint-first-place with Michael Schumacher on the all-time F1 World Drivers’ Championship winners list.
“I felt like I was a bit quicker than (Fernando) Alonso and (George) Russell in front, but not enough to catch. I lost a lot of time trying to pass Hulkenberg, who used his experience to keep me back for more laps than he should have. That’s my bad but it was a good race,” said Bearman, who admitted that his maiden outing had been a challenge both mentally and physically. “Especially my lower back and neck are hurting – these seats take a bit of fine-tuning and we didn’t have time to focus on that. It was a good motivation to finish the race quicker.”
Defending champion Max Verstappen clinched his second win from this season’s first two races, an ominous sign that the Dutch Red Bull Racing star is headed for a fourth F1 title in a row. The 26-year-old has now won nine consecutive F1 races, and 19 from the last 20 if you look back to last season.