In Ollie Bearman's radio for his first F1 qualifying

Eleventh in qualifying after coming within a breath of passing through Q3, Oliver Bearman made an honorable debut in F1 at the wheel of Carlos Sainz's Ferrari. We spent the entire session in his headset, listening to the radio conversations exchanged with his engineer.

Published on 08/03/2024 à 20:16

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In Ollie Bearman's radio for his first F1 qualifying

Oliver Bearman, first in F1 at 18. © Frédéric Le Floc'h / DPPI

The tension, visible on the face of David Bearman, Ollie's dad, from the garage Ferrari, said a lot about the incongruity of the situation. While Oliver came to Jeddah on his favorite track with the firm intention of launching his racing season, Formula 2 after a bad weekend in Bahrain a week earlier, the 18-year-old found himself in F1 behind the wheel of the Ferrari Carlos Sainz, to compete in a qualifying session following the Spaniard's medical withdrawal. Very diligent in Free Practice 3, where he achieved the 10th time, he then signed a solid qualifying session, finishing in 11th place.

As night began to envelop Jeddah's Corniche, Oliver Bearman faced the biggest