Oliver Bearman, the Essex-born with an Italian twang placed seventh at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Saturday. The 18-year-old became the 776th Formula One Driver after he finished ahead of World Champion Lewis Hamilton at Jeddah.
Born on May 5, 2005 in Chelmsford, UK, Oliver Bearman is the 97th driver for Ferrari. Carlos Sainz, who impressed with a podium finish at the season opener, was sidelined due to appendicitis. This surprise turn of events led to an F1 debut for 18-year-old Oliver Bearman, who replaced Sainz and delivered a stellar performance, bringing home valuable championship points for Ferrari.
Bearman: “It was a fantastic race, I was shocked at how fast we were pushing. That was incredible. I couldn’t relax, really exciting and fun race. The countdown was going slower than normal, we managed it really well. I think I did my fastest lap on the final one, I had good confidence!”
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Ollie is also the youngest Brit to ever champion a F1 car. He eclipsed the record of Lando Norris. Max Verstappen (17y 166d) is the youngest ever F1 driver. The Dutch started at the 2015 Australian GP.
Three years later, Lance Stroll debuted at the same venue becoming the youngest F1 Driver.
