Oliver Bearman finds himself behind the wheel of a Ferrari at Fiorano today, marking his unexpected debut for the team after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The 18-year-old is currently piloting an F1-75 chassis, previously utilized by the team two years ago, at Ferrari’s Fiorano test circuit.
As of now, Ferrari has not disclosed who will accompany Charles Leclerc in the upcoming Melbourne Grand Prix in Australia. Bearman stepped in last week as a stand-in for Carlos Sainz Jnr, who underwent surgery for appendicitis and was hospitalized.
Fortunately, Sainz underwent a successful surgery last Friday and made a swift return to the Formula 1 paddock the following day. He is determined to get back behind the wheel at the earliest opportunity.
“Everyone did an amazing job to get me back in decent form again, I’m feeling a lot better,” he stated. “Obviously now my focus is on recovering and trying to be ready, as you can imagine, for the next race. It will not be easy, it will be tight, but I think I can hopefully make it.”
Bearman expressed his optimism during his remarks following last week’s race, expressing his hope for Sainz’s swift return to the driver’s seat in time for the next round. He stated: “It’s his car, and I feel like I shouldn’t be in his car, I should give it back to him so he can have another turn.”
Ferrari has officially acknowledged Bearman’s participation in their “previous car testing program” following his seventh-place finish in Saturday’s race. According to regulations, teams are allowed to carry out these tests utilizing cars that are a minimum of two years old and remain unaltered.
McLaren is also engaged in a test at Imola today, utilizing a two-year-old car, the MCL36. Situated just 70 kilometers away from Fiorano, Imola is set to host the seventh round of this year’s championship in May.
