To the surprise of no one, Max Verstappen scampered off in his Oracle Red Bull Racing jet to a commanding victory in Saturday’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
However, behind Verstappen, was perhaps the most intriguing storyline of the weekend for Formula 1.
Scuderia Ferrari reserve driver Oliver Bearman was tasked with wheeling the second prancing horse entry for the weekend after full-time driver Carlos Sainz was diagnosed with appendicitis on Friday, keeping the Spaniard out of action.
Bearman, a current Formula 2 driver, was set to wheel one of F-1’s prized rides.
The 18-year-old qualified 11th on the streets of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, narrowly missing out on Q3 prior to race day.
Once the green lights flicked on, Bearman methodically rose up the leaderboard.
After an early safety car period, Bearman pitted for a harder compound tire, which turned out to be the right move.
Passing two cars early on vaulted the teenager to ninth following his pit stop.
With veteran drivers Lando Norris and seven-time F-1 champion Lewis Hamilton ahead in the running order but on a different strategy, Bearman capitalized as he overtook both racers late in the event.
From there, Bearman cruised to an impressive seventh-place finish, scoring Ferrari six points.
“What a great experience and opportunity to have my first race in Formula 1 with Scuderia Ferrari,” Bearman said after the race. “It was physically demanding, especially in the end when I had Lando (Norris) and Lewis (Hamilton) behind me on softs.
“I had to push flat out to maintain the gap and had to stay really focused, always checking my mirrors. It was a shame that the safety car came out so early, as I was comfortable on the softs, but of course it was the right call to pit then and I’m very happy with the result.”
Ironically, Bearman is 10th in the driver standings despite one less race under his belt.
“I’m confident that I maximized everything today and had great fun out there,” Bearman said. “I’ll never forget this weekend. Thank you to the whole team for their support and for giving me the chance to race.”