When Ollie Bearman first started out in go-karts at the age of 6, Sebastian Vettel was dominating Formula One. The combination of Vettel’s success — which included four consecutive titles from 2010 to 2013 — and his surprise move in 2015 to F1’s most famous team, Ferrari, made an impression on the young driver.
“I grew up watching Vettel dominate,” Bearman told ESPN after the 18-year-old Ferrari reserve driver’s remarkable F1 debut at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. “I was a big fan of him, especially in his later years when he was at Ferrari.”
It was somewhat surreal, therefore, when Bearman found himself standing in for Carlos Sainz — the man who replaced Vettel at Ferrari in 2021 — in Jeddah. Sainz had been diagnosed with appendicitis on the morning of qualifying, meaning Bearman had just one practice session to get up to speed before putting everything on the line in an attempt to qualify as high up the grid as possible for the 50-lap race.
Remarkably, he secured an 11th-place starting position, just 0.036 seconds off a place in the top ten, meaning he would line up on the grid within striking distance of points on his F1 debut. It would be by far the biggest race of young career.
With the pressure and hype building ahead of the start, Bearman’s phone buzzed with a text message. It was from Vettel.
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“He sent me a message before the race, saying good luck and enjoy it,” Bearman recalled. “I think the main point was just to enjoy it, because it was a very stressful situation, and I think he and other people helped me to take a step back and look at what a great opportunity it was and not to get flustered by it.
“He said he was sending me hugs, and I replied saying I was a big fan. I was a bit of a fanboy there!”
What followed has been well documented. Bearman improved with every lap of the race, moving his way up to seventh place and then lapping within a respectable margin of teammate Charles Leclerc in the latter stages.
“I watched the race back five or six times, just watching every moment,” Bearman said. “It was such a great experience.”
His strong showing has strengthened his claim to a potential drive with F1 back markers Haas next year, especially if he lives up to expectations in Formula 2 this season and challenges for the title of the feeder…
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