British teenager Oliver Bearman is poised to make history as the youngest Briton to compete in Formula 1, following a last-minute invitation from Ferrari to participate in the upcoming Saudi Arabian Grand Prix this weekend.
At 18 years old, Oliver Bearman, Ferrari’s reserve driver, has stepped in for Carlos Sainz, who was diagnosed with appendicitis.
Bearman, born in Chelmsford, was already in Jeddah participating in the Formula 2 championship and secured pole position for the feature race during Thursday’s qualifying session.
Sainz had been feeling unwell for two days, initially mistaking his symptoms for a stomach bug. He described Thursday’s practice as “one of my toughest days in a Formula 1 car.”
Sainz’s Ferrari team said on Friday afternoon: “Carlos is out of surgery. Everything went well and he is now resting at the hospital. We send him our full support for a quick recovery.”
Bearman qualified a creditable 11th for Saturday’s race, which starts at 17:00 GMT.
His appearance behind the wheel of the Ferrari will mark his official debut in Formula 1, although he did drive a Haas car during the first practice sessions at the Mexican and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix last year.
Previously, Lando Norris held the record as the youngest Briton to compete in F1. He participated in practice for McLaren at the Belgian Grand Prix in 2018 at the age of 18, with his first race taking place at the 2019 Australian Grand Prix when he was 19.
Ferrari has not disclosed when Sainz will return to racing.
In 2022, Williams driver Alex Albon missed the Italian Grand Prix due to appendicitis but returned for the subsequent race in Singapore.
Following the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the next race on the calendar is the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne from March 20th to 22nd.