Ollie Bearman admits he’ll always owe Carlos Sainz for his Formula 1 career

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Oliver Bearman has been highly regarded since joining the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2021 and is now one of the more promising young drivers on the Formula 1 grid.

He got his first taste of F1 action in 2023, driving FP1 for Haas at the Mexico City Grand Prix, before joining the team full-time two years later.

Bearman also took on duties as Ferrari’s reserve driver during that period. Since stepping into a permanent race seat with Haas, he has continued to impress. He finished his rookie season with 41 points and has added another 17 so far in the current campaign.

Ollie Bearman Explains Why He’ll Always Feel Grateful to Carlos Sainz

Bearman was speaking on the Up to Speed podcast when he opened up about why he’ll always feel a sense of gratitude towards Sainz, who played a key role in helping his career get off the ground.

Sainz had been due to race for Ferrari at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix but was forced out of the weekend after suffering from appendicitis. That gave Bearman, then Ferrari’s reserve driver, a late call-up and an opportunity he didn’t expect.

Thrown into the seat at short notice, Bearman became the youngest driver ever to compete for Ferrari. Despite qualifying 11th, he finished seventh in what turned out to be a standout performance, finishing ahead of both Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton.

Reflecting on that moment, Bearman said: “First of all, I will always say to Carlos that I’m in his debt for the rest of my life. It’s only really thanks to him and obviously it was a very tough moment for him.”

“Thanks to that, I was able to get my shot and prove that I was capable of racing in Formula 1 and compete with those guys.”