Oliver Bearman made his F1 debut at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz was rushed to surgery for appendicitis.

Bearman, the reserve driver for Ferrari, took over for Sainz during the third free practice as well as both the qualifying session and the race where he was able to secure 11th and 7th position, respectively.  The 18 year old, who became the third youngest driver to participate in an F1 grand prix and the youngest driver to drive for Ferrari, brought in six points for the Scuderia.

During the race, Bearman impressed with his ability to gain positions after a safety car was deployed in response to Lance Stroll’s collision with the barrier.  The young driver passed the likes of Visa Cash App RB’s Yuki Tsunoda and Haas’s Nico Hulkenberg. He was also able to defend against attacks from Hamilton in the Mercedes and Lando Norris in the McLaren.

Charles Leclerc praised his teammate’s performance saying, “He’s done an exceptional job to get into a Formula 1 car in FP3 when all the drivers have had FP1, FP2.” Bearman said of his own performance, “I think I put in a good showing for myself, which is the main thing right? It’s difficult circumstances, not a lot of laps on track, but I think I maximized everything today.”