Credits: IMAGO / Motorsport Images

Oliver Bearman became the hero of the F1 world, after putting in an incredible shift for Ferrari on his debut as Carlos Sainz’s replacement in Jeddah. Among the people who praised the young Briton were Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. Reflecting on the weekend and his idols’ praises, Bearman can’t help but be proud of himself.

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As reported by BBC, Hamilton stated that Bearman has a bright future ahead. Alonso on the other hand praised the 18-year-old’s driving skills, which were commendable especially because he jumped into the SF-24 practically unprepared.

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Bearman, who is just 18 years old, grew up watching his idols like Hamilton and Alonso battle it out on the track. This is especially why praise coming from the multi-time world champions means so much to him.

“It was a proud day for me,” he said as quoted by the BBC. “For them to say these kind words was really nice – especially the older guys like Fernando and Lewis.”

Bearman started the race from P11, nearly knocking Lewis Hamilton out of qualifying in Q2. In the race, he made some strong moves to finish four places in front of where he started – P7. However, despite his strong debut weekend, Bearman’s focus doesn’t lie on F1.

Oliver Bearman shifts focus away from F1

While Oliver Bearman’s debut weekend created waves in the world of F1, he sits rock bottom in the F2 championship which is his main forte of 2024. Bearman was already linked to an F1 seat before the campaign, but performing well in F2 is a crucial way to announce one’s arrival.

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He finished without points in the opening weekend in Bahrain and despite making amends by securing pole for the Saudi Arabian feature race, Bearman couldn’t take part. Why? Because he had to fulfill his duties as Carlos Sainz’s replacement. The 18-year-old didn’t take part in the sprint or the feature race and ended the weekend in the bottom of the standings.

As of now, it is not clear whether Oliver Bearman will take part in the Australian GP for Ferrari or not. If not, his focus will 100% be on getting his F2 season underway. He admitted that everything will be “forgotten” if he doesn’t improve his position in the feeder series.