Oliver Bearman’s ‘Hero’ Sebastian Vettel Messaged Him before the Demanding Debut at Saudi Arabian GP

Absolutely no one, especially Oliver Bearman, could’ve imagined the outcome of the Saudi Arabian GP would be this positive. The youngest driver in Ferrari‘s history not only won hearts but also won points in his debut and also the Driver of the Day award with nearly 50% votes. It turned out to be a weekend to remember which was made more special by his “hero” Sebastian Vettel.

We’re not sure if Vettel voted for Bearman but he was definitely rooting for him. Bearman revealed that in a post-race chat where he told the world how the German legend got in touch with him to wish him luck before his big debut and the demanding race in Jeddah. We’re not sure about the contents of the message but knowing Vettel, one can assume they were thoughtful and kind words of wisdom and support. From Bearman’s perspective, it was an incredible gesture from one of his heroes and one that he will never forget.

“One of my heroes, Vettel, wrote to me before the start,” revealed Bearman, as quoted by Formula Passion. “I thank Seb. It was really nice. It was a great emotion to run my first Formula 1 race with Scuderia Ferrari.”

He then elaborated on his race. “Obviously it was physically demanding, especially at the end, when I had Lando (Norris) and Lewis (Hamilton) behind me on Soft tyres. I always had to push hard to maintain the lead while always staying focused and constantly looking in the mirrors: a truly memorable experience. It’s a shame that the Safety Car came in so early, as I felt comfortable on the Softs, but obviously it was the right choice to come back in and I’m very happy with the result. I’m happy to have maximized the potential available to me, I had a lot of fun on the track and I will never forget this weekend. Thanks to the whole team for the support and for the opportunity to be able to compete in red .”

Read More: Oliver Bearman Breaks Ferrari Hero’s 62-Year-Old Record at Saudi Arabian GP

On Thursday night, Bearman went to bed as the pole sitter in F2, and on Friday morning, he was given the duty to race for Ferrari in the premier class. Life can truly change in a matter of seconds. In fact, the last time someone finished in points on their F1 debut, they secured a seat for the following season. So in Peter Windsor’s opinion, his life is going to change altogether as we will see a repeat of this scenario.

Peter Windsor predicts a seat for Oliver Bearman in 2025

Everyone in the F1 world can talk your ears off with their opinion of the young Brit and we can understand why. Not many could’ve pulled off the incredible output that he did during the weekend on such short notice. Keeping that in mind, Peter Windsor believes we haven’t seen the last of him.

He obviously won’t get a seat at Ferrari, with the lineup locked for beyond 2025. However, bear in mind that he’s also a reserve driver for Haas, and with contracts expiring, he might’ve just put his name in the running for a seat in the American team for 2025. At least that’s what Windsor thinks.

“This guy is seriously talented and it’s not the last we’ll see of him that is for sure,” said Windsor. “It’s a bit of a shame really from his point of view when he looks into the future at Ferrari because there’s a lock-in now with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. So no real opportunity for him in the short term to be racing for Ferrari. So it’s going to be I guess Haas Ferrari for him and yeah, that’s okay. He’d be racing on the back of this performance he knows that that drive is going to be paid for and guaranteed I would imagine. So really good performance by Oliver Bearman.”

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It wasn’t a perfect race. Bearman had regrets, but we believe he’s done enough to show he deserves an F1 seat. Whether the F1 silly season lets him through, only time will tell.