Charles Leclerc commended Ferrari rookie Oliver Bearman for his "incredible" performance at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, expressing confidence that it's only a matter of time before the young Briton makes a full-time transition to Formula 1.
Bearman, who was originally due to compete in F1 this weekend in Jeddah, was thrown in at the deep end on Friday after Carlos Sainz fell ill and required surgery for appendicitis.
After qualifying an impressive P11, just narrowly missing a spot in the top ten shootout, Bearman’s performance in Saturday’s race was nothing short of impressive.
Starting from eleventh on the grid, the 18-year-old made a strong launch and showcased his racing prowess with a series of well-executed overtakes.
His maneuver on RB’s Yuki Tsunoda was particularly noteworthy, where a well-timed dummy allowed him to snatch the inside line into Turn 1.
Mid-race, Bearman settled into P9 from where he progressed to P7 in second half of the event, earning himself the title of ‘Driver of the Day’ from F1’s fan community.
Leclerc was unable to witness his teammate’s feat as he was hard at work among the front-runners up ahead but the Monegasque didn’t hesitate to heap praise on the Scuderia’s young apprentice.
Ferrari rookie Ollie Bearman is congratulated by his father on his P7 finish in the Saud Arabian GP.
"I mean, he completely deserves it. He's done an incredible job already from FP3,” commented Leclerc.
"He was straight on the pace in qualifying. He did a great job and missed Q3 by so little.
"I think today, he's been incredible. I mean, seventh in your first race in F1, and having only done FP3 in a new car, is just hugely impressive. So, I'm sure he's extremely proud.
"But everybody has noticed how talented he is. And I guess it's just a matter of time before he comes here in Formula 1."
Leclerc, who started on the front row alongside poleman Max Verstappen, was able to hold his own at the start and fend off the attacks of the second Red Bull of Sergio Perez.
But the Ferrari driver was eventually overhauled by the Mexican, as Verstappen raced off into the distance.
Leclerc concluded his evening on his own, crossing the checkered flag in a solitary third place, five seconds behind Perez.
"We had quite a good pace because we had the fastest lap at the end - I got a bit helped by a DRS," he explained. "But overall, the feeling was pretty good.
"It was a bit of a boring race because Red Bull were a bit too quick. Behind, we had a bit of a gap. But we took the maximum points we could today. That was the target."
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