Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has praised his surprise stand-in team-mate Ollie Bearman for his impressive points-scoring debut at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, hinting at a promising future in Formula 1 for the young Briton.
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Bearman’s Assured Performance Turns Heads
Ollie Bearman, a Formula 2 contender, became the third-youngest driver to start an F1 race after appendicitis struck down Ferrari regular Carlos Sainz. Stepping up from Free Practice 3, Bearman missed out on Q3 by a narrow margin but delivered an assured performance in the race at the challenging Jeddah Corniche Circuit, finishing an impressive P7, ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris.
Leclerc Impressed by Bearman’s Calm and Professionalism
Charles Leclerc, who finished P3 behind the Red Bull duo of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, heaped praise on Bearman’s debut, describing his performance as “extremely impressive.” Leclerc commended Bearman’s calm and professional approach, stating, “It was really impressive. I think he has shown the whole paddock what he was capable of, and I think after a performance like that, it’s a matter of time before we see him permanently in the Formula 1 paddock.”
Leclerc further lauded Bearman’s ability to get up to speed quickly, saying, “I mean he’s done an exceptional job to get into a Formula 1 car in FP3 when all the drivers have had FP1, FP2. You don’t know the car, the track is one of the most challenging of the season and you get there, you do the first three laps in FP3 and you are straight away on the pace and pushing the car to its limits. So it’s been super impressive to see him so fast straight away.”
Ferrari’s Steady Progress and Determination
Regarding Ferrari’s own performance in the race, Leclerc acknowledged the team’s steady improvements over the past seven months, vowing that Ferrari would be challenging the Red Bulls in the near future. He said, “I think we’re doing small steps in the right direction. If I look back, the last six, seven months, we’re the team that have improved the most, and we’re slowly closing the gap. The gap is still quite big, but if we keep working like that, I’m sure it’s a matter of time until we put the Red Bulls under a bit more pressure.”
