Oliver Bearman’s father looked almost sick as he watched his race during his first Formula 1 qualifying spell for Ferrari.
Video showed David Bearman looking visibly moved and breathing heavily as he watched in the Ferrari garage.
His son, 18, stepped in for his Ferrari debut at the Saudi Arabian GP weekend in place of Carlos Sainz, who has appendicitis.
He was almost immediately investigated for failing to follow the race director’s instructions due to driving too slowly.
Bearman qualified for Saturday’s race in 11th place after finishing 0.036 seconds slower than Lewis Hamilton in the second qualifying session.
Oliver Bearman, 18, will make his Formula 1 debut for Ferrari in Saudi Arabia this weekend
The teenager has been called up to replace the ill Carlos Sainz for the Jeddah Grand Prix
Bearman is reportedly dating Estelle Oglivy, who has 72,000 followers on TikTok
The Essex teenager breaks Lando Norris’ record as Britain’s youngest F1 competitor, with the McLaren driver aged 19 years, four months and four days when he made his debut in 2019.
He also becomes the twelfth Briton to drive for Ferrari, putting seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton in the driver’s seat before he arrives next season.
The Ferrari reserve driver, who turns 19 in May, is quitting Formula 2 for the race weekend in Saudi Arabia but has already made his impact in Jeddah and has a growing online profile, reportedly dating TikTok star Estelle Oglivy, who has 72,000 followers. .
Bearman, driving for Prema, topped the F2 qualifying times at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit on Thursday but has been withdrawn from their sprint and feature races to make his F1 bow.
It marks a remarkable rise for Bearman, who will join legends Hamilton and Fernando Alonso on the track this weekend.
He was just 18 months old when Lewis Hamilton made his Formula 1 debut and wasn’t even born when 42-year-old Alonso won his first title.
Bearman has shown his exceptional talent from an early age after finishing in the top five in the British Karting GP in 2013, a year after taking up motor racing as an eight-year-old.
He went on to win the Kartmasters British Grand Prix and become British vice-champion in the cadet class, before moving from cadet to junior level in 2018.
Oliver Bearman’s father, David Bearman, prior to qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
Ogilvy often shares her outfits on TikTok and has built up thousands of followers
His transition from karts to cars came just four years ago when he competed in the German and Italian F4 Championships. Bearman became the first driver to win the title in both championships in 2021, winning a total of 17 races.
Bearman’s success led to him joining the Ferrari Driver Academy at the end of 2021.
His move to the academy required Bearman to make the courageous decision to leave King Edward VI Grammar School in Chelmsford.
The young driver admitted to Mail Sport last year that his ‘pro-education’ mother Terri had to be convinced to allow him to leave the £17,000-a-year school, family and two dogs behind.
Bearman eventually received his mother’s approval to attend the academy in Modena, 12 miles north of Ferrari’s Maranello factory in northern Italy. Since then he has developed an Italian touch.
“Maybe I was a bit lucky that I didn’t get the Essex accent,” he told Mail Sport last year. ‘Many people have told me that my accent has changed, even though I don’t notice it.
‘I spend a lot of time with Italians, and communicating with people whose first language isn’t English isn’t easy, so I changed my word order and ended up with this accent all over the place.
‘When I moved to Modena it happened quite quickly. It was like going to college two years earlier, but I’ve loved every moment so far. My mother was very pro-school and very pro-education, but in the end we convinced her.
‘I miss my family and my dogs. I have an English bull terrier and a Boston terrier and they are very cute. That’s the negative side. But the food in Italy is a lot better than that in England, and the weather is better too.’
Bearman started in motor racing at the age of eight and enjoyed success on the karting circuit
The teenager had to convince his mother Terri to leave his private school
Bearman is reportedly dating Estelle Ogilvy, who goes by the name Silly Lettuce on TikTok, where she shares her fashion inspiration and various outfits of the day.
It is believed the couple want to keep their relationship a secret after sharing a photo together on social media this week, before quickly deleting the photo.
However, his teammates at Prema Racing have teased Bearman in recent TikTok videos referencing his girlfriend.
More to follow.