Fred Vasseur discusses Ollie Bearman’s ‘unrealistic’ F1 debut performance, despite two missed training sessions

Oliver Bearman’s name has been widely circulating in the media recently, earning praises from numerous Formula One individuals for his accomplished performance at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, despite being completely new to Formula One.

Although initially sceptical, Ferrari’s team principal, Frederic Vasseur, has now publicly acknowledged Bearman for exceeding his expectations throughout the entire event.

Fred Vasseur hails Ollie Bearman

Ferrari’s team principal, Fred Vasseur, stated that the young talent, Ollie Bearman’s, performance aligned with his “unrealistic expectations at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix event, despite missing two practice sessions. Even after being called to the event right before the FP3 session started, the 18-year-old performed incredibly well, giving heated challenges to experienced drivers on the grid, such as the seven-time World Champion, Lewis Hamilton.

Despite missing Q3 by just a split second, the Brit finished in the seventh position, behind George Russell. Vasseur had highlighted his driving skills of driving flawlessly at one of the most challenging tracks of the world, Jeddah Circuit, which had severely impressed him at the first glance.

He said, “I think in this situation—and we’ve had a couple of good young drivers into the car, not only at Ferrari but on the grid—I would say the pace is, I don’t want to say easy to have, but it’s something they can achieve.”

“And the fact he did a short weekend without FP1/FP2 without any mistake, for me it’s unrealistic. Honestly, I was completely impressed by this in Jeddah, between the walls, skipping FP1/FP2, directly almost in quali,” Fred added.

Will Ollie Bearman race at Australian GP?

After a successful surgery, Carlos Sainz has posted on his social media accounts, emphasizing his recovery pace. However, since Formula One is an extremely intense sport, requiring a lot of physical strength, Vasseur has shown concerns when asked if Sainz was ready to race at the Australian GP. He claimed that the team would rush him into the sport by putting his health in jeopardy.

On the other hand, Bearman has expressed interest in driving for Ferrari again, if given the opportunity. He said, “It was a great race. I loved every moment but the weekend was too short. It was over too quickly, so now I’m back down to earth, back down to reality but no, I think I did a good job out there.”

“Carlos is looking well so I’m glad he’s having a good recovery. At the end, it’s not my decision to make. If he feels good and I hope he does, then he’ll be in the car in Melbourne.”

Do you think Ollie would have the opportunity to race at the Australian GP? Let us know about your opinions in the comment section below.