The young super-promisers don’t really get off the ground in formula one. Sensational Oliver Bearman showed that there would be a reason, writes Urheilu’s editor Joel Sippola.
Joel Sippola sports reporter
– We need more stables for the pit, so that by Oliver Bearman incredible talents like that give the place to shine.
Well-known F1 journalist Matt Gallagher put into words after the F1 race in Saudi Arabia what many followers of the series had on their minds. 18-year-old Bearman’s surprising F1 debut at Ferrari was something that the stagnant series was missing.
The driver of Ferrari’s own Academy received an emergency alert on Friday Carlos Sainz for a while, when the experienced Spanish coach had to have an appendectomy. That sparked a story that breathed a whole new kind of life into the otherwise boring and unsurprising F1 weekend.
A father who showed his true feelings
The Bermans became a phenomenon of their own David-the father’s reactions as he watches his son’s progress from the pit. When the open-minded British driver was close to touching the wall of the Jeddah street track in the qualifying sessions, but was shaken by the moment with the fourth fastest time, the father’s expression spoke volumes.
The father hugged his son for a long time after a great time trial and an even more amazing race. The reactions were so sincerely genuine that you can’t buy such feelings.
Bearman, who debuted on a difficult street circuit with a car from a giant team like Ferrari, melted the hearts of other F1 drivers with his promising qualifying performance and seventh place in the race. Three-time world champion Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s star driver Charles Leclerc lauded after qualifying the on-track performance of the third-youngest F1 driver of all time.
– He really made a phenomenal mark. Everyone saw what he did, Verstappen, who rarely gives credit to his rivals, boasted at the press conference.
In front of the reporters, Bearmania also glowed separately Lance Strollwho, by the way, has a tight-lipped attitude to media questions.
During the interview with Suomen Viaplay, several drivers wanted to come and shake hands with the teenage sensation. Bearman himself was beaming with excitement when he said he received a congratulatory message from his childhood hero, the four-time world champion From Sebastian Vettel. What joy!
The weekend was crowned by the public’s choice as the driver of the day. The number of Instagram followers of the boy, previously unknown to the general public, jumped from a few hundred thousand to a million immediately.
An avalanche of super promises
The example of Bearman, who was born in 2005, shows how easy it is for the general public to notice the special talent of a young driver. Especially when he makes an entry into the formula one like he did in Saudi Arabia.
After Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has destroyed almost all excitement with his superiority, F1 is in desperate need of new fresh faces that will give a spark of hope for a better tomorrow in terms of fighting at the top.
Last year, the stimulant injection had driven McLaren to the podium in its rookie season Oscar Piastri. Injured Daniel Ricciardo snorted Liam Lawson on the other hand, made an almost Bearman-like impression in a few races. The fans got angry when the 21-year-old New Zealander didn’t get a race spot for this season.
Along with the lack of a championship fight, one of the biggest problems in Formula One at the moment is how many top talents who are already capable of F1 level are left outside the driver’s roulette. There are only ten teams and 20 drivers in the series, so places are tight.
The situation is made more complicated by the fact that all the top Formula One teams have their own driver academies, but at the same time these organizations want to keep experienced star class drivers in their F1 teams. The alternatives are smaller teams like RB, Sauber and Haas.
But while Mercedes has a strong link to Williams, it’s taking options from Ferrari’s driver promises and vice versa. When, in addition, a few places are lined with Lance Stroll and by Logan Sargeant for such tohelos, there are simply no chairs.
However, the winds of change will be blowing in F1 in the next few years. Up to 12 of this season’s drivers are without a contract from 2025. The series currently has several Valtteri BottasDaniel Ricciardo and by Kevin Magnussen like drivers in their thirties whose F1 star is fading.
During the next two seasons, even half of the series’ current driver line-up will convert to the new faith. At the same time, in F1 we will see Bearman, Lawson, By Theo Pourchaire and Kimi Antonelli an avalanche of new generation top drivers like Then an F1 treat like Bearman is available for fans right in the middle of nowhere.