Strong in the GP, sloppy on the road
Formula 1 debutant Bearman (18) failed the car test
Oliver Bearman surprises in seventh place at his first GP in Saudi Arabia. The Ferrari youngster (18) once failed his driving test.
Published: March 14, 2024 at 9:40 p.m
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Oliver Bearman finished seventh in his Formula 1 debut.
Laura ErniPractikkantin Sport
He is only 18 years old and is already one of the big figures in this Formula 1 season: Oliver Bearman finished seventh in his first competition in the top racing class at the Saudi Arabian GP.
Bearman has been driving since he was a small child. At 16 he entered the Ferrari Academy. It’s just that the driving test doesn’t work out on the first attempt. “He failed his test because of a fault with the light signal. I’m not sure if it was because of running a yellow light. Maybe he didn’t stop,” Bearman’s former driving instructor David Currey (52) now remembers to the “Sun”.
At the time, Currey was surprised by Bearman’s request for driving lessons. “From his Instagram pictures, I could see that he was already a Formula 3 driver at the time,” said Currey. “We then carried out the driving lessons in his BMW. Even without my foot pedals, I felt totally safe.”
But Bearman still failed the test. After all: on the second attempt in October 2022, the 18-year-old is said to have passed his car test completely without any errors.
Better than Idol Hamilton
The youngster didn’t need a second attempt in Jeddah: there the Brit even raced across the finish line ahead of his idol, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton (39, 9th place). Bearman had to step in as an emergency because Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz (29) had to undergo colon surgery.
What would driving instructor Currey advise his former student after his GP debut? “Keep it up and you’ll become an absolute legend.” He just shouldn’t let the racing driver hang out in his home country. He doesn’t want to see him in the village with his tires spinning at a red light.
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