Max Verstappen secured pole position, while Ferrari’s newcomer, 18-year-old Ollie Bearman, made an impressive debut in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix qualifying. Bearman, stepping in for the hospitalized Carlos Sainz, narrowly missed advancing to Q3, coming within 0.036 seconds of outperforming Lewis Hamilton.
Bearman, the youngest British driver in Formula One history at 18 years and 10 months, faced the challenge with only one hour of practice and no prior experience driving an F1 car at night. Despite this, he qualified 11th for Ferrari, closely trailing Hamilton.
In a surprising turn, Bearman’s performance shifted the focus from Red Bull’s off-track issues to Ferrari. Max Verstappen claimed pole, followed by Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez. Bearman’s remarkable journey echoes the footsteps of British F1 champions Mike Hawthorn and John Surtees, marking him as the 12th British driver for Ferrari and the first Englishman since Nigel Mansell in 1990.
Despite Bearman’s youth, he demonstrated resilience, narrowly missing the opportunity to outshine Hamilton. His father, David, founder and CEO of Aventum Group, witnessed the exciting moment in the Ferrari garage. Bearman’s qualification sets the stage for him to become the youngest British driver to start a Grand Prix when he races on Saturday, surpassing Lando Norris’s record.
