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Haas team boss Ayao Komatsu was already aware of Ferrari junior driver Oliver Bearman's potential before his F1 debut at the 2024 Saudi Arabian GP.
After the first day of practice at Jeddah, Ferrari announced that Carlos Sainz was diagnosed with appendicitis and would be replaced by reserve driver Oliver Bearman for the rest of the Saudi Arabian GP. The young Briton grabbed the opportunity and delivered a brilliant performance in his first F1 race as he qualified for P11 but managed to secure P7 in the Grand Prix.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the race, Haas's new team principal, Ayao Komatsu, praised Bearman and stated how the American team had already realized his talent in 2023 when he participated in a practice session in Mexico.
“Yeah, absolutely. Last year, we had him in FP1 sessions in Mexico and Abu Dhabi. Straight away, it was obvious that he’s the total package. He’s so impressive, so I was very happy that we got him for six FP1s this year. [I am] very happy for him,” Ayao said (via formu1a.uno).
Oliver Bearman currently competes in the F2 Championship with Prema Racing, alongside Mercedes junior driver Kimi Antonelli. He is the reserve driver for both Ferrari and Haas F1 teams.
Oliver Bearman shares his thoughts after first-ever F1 race at Jeddah
Oliver Bearman recently gave his initial thoughts after his first-ever F1 race at the 2024 F1 Saudi Arabian GP. He told the media, including Sportskeeda, that he was grateful to receive recognition from other F1 drivers whom he used to watch in the past. He lightly joked about how Lewis Hamilton helped him out of his car after the race.
"I grew up watching these guys fighting and it was nice to share the track with them. It was a pleasure to have their recognition. [Lewis] was basically pulling me out of the car because I was struggling," Bearman said.
Oliver Bearman explained that the race was physically intense, especially due to the high-speed nature of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
"It was really physical. In a race like this – one of the lowest-degradation tracks of the season and one of the highest lateral G – you are pretty much doing 50 qualifying laps," he added.
The Ferrari youngster scored six points in the first F1 race of his career, placing him ahead of several permanent F1 drivers in the standings.
