Oliver Bearman said Lewis Hamilton was “really kind” to applaud him from the cockpit of his Mercedes after Ferrari's impressive debut at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Ferrari's Carlos Sainz was taken to hospital on Friday morning where he was diagnosed with appendicitis and underwent successful surgery, opening the door for Ferrari's 18-year-old reserve driver Bearman to make his F1 debut.
Lewis Hamilton praises and hugs Oliver Bearman
Bearman had taken pole position in the feature race and was preparing to enter F2 at the Jeddah Corniche circuit, but before that he had just practiced for an hour behind the wheel of a Ferrari SF-24 and was suddenly in F1. I decided to step up. It was time for the qualifying rounds.
Bearman unfortunately missed out on the top 10 grid, but his impressive performance continued on race day, holding off the charging Lando Norris and Hamilton on soft tires to secure a 7th place finish.
And on the cool-down lap, Hamilton could be seen applauding Bearman as he passed him in his Mercedes and giving his young compatriot a thumbs up, with Sky F1 playing the footage to Bearman after the race.
“Oh, that's really kind of you, that's really nice,” Bearman responded.
Hamilton was also waiting in the pit lane to give Bearman a congratulatory hug after he got out of his Ferrari, but Bearman talked about his love for the McLaren team when Hamilton and Jenson Button were in the team, and said that Hamilton was his hero. He said he was one of the. – An all-British line-up mate.
When asked if Hamilton was his childhood hero, Bearman replied:
“Lewis and Jenson were my favorites because I really liked the 2011/12 McLaren team.The British team with their home heroes.
“It was great to watch them grow and now I'm racing Lewis, which was great.”
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Sainz made a successful return to Ferrari's garage on Saturday to watch the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and begins his recovery with a free weekend ahead of the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park.
Bearman admits it's not up to him to make a second appearance for Ferrari, but he hopes Sainz will be healthy and fit to compete by then.
“Carlos is in good condition and I'm glad he's making a good recovery,” Bearman said. “At the end of the day, it's not for me to decide.
“If he feels good, and I hope he does, then he'll be in the car in Melbourne. At the end of the day it's his car and it's his championship, so for him I hope for the best.”
Even if he does not return to Ferrari duties, Bearman will still continue his F2 activities at Albert Park.
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