BBC pundit hails F1 driver 31-y/o rival ‘tried to scare’ in Saudi Arabian GP

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BBC F1 pundit Jack Aitken has praised Oliver Bearman for how the Ferrari reserve handled Haas star Kevin Magnussen ‘trying to scare’ him in the Saudi Arabian GP.

Teenager Bearman got his Formula 1 race debut at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit this Saturday after stepping in for Carlos Sainz at Ferrari. The Scuderia had to rush into a late switch in the cockpit on Friday as Sainz was diagnosed with appendicitis and needed emergency surgery.

Sainz had a successful operation and he was back in the F1 paddock on Saturday as the 29-year-old aims to return at the Australian GP. A seat in the Ferrari hospitality unit would have allowed the Spaniard to see Bearman engage in an early tussle with Haas racer Magnussen.

Oliver Bearman impressed Jack Aitken in the Saudi Arabian GP

Bearman qualified in 11th place as the 18-year-old became the youngest Briton to race in F1 and also the youngest Ferrari driver of all time. The Chelmsford native posted a 1:28.642 lap in Q2 to miss out on the top 10 shootout by 0.036 seconds to Mercedes ace Lewis Hamilton.

Magnussen, meanwhile, qualified in 13th place with his 1:29.020. But the 31-year-old moved in front of Williams star Alex Albon in the early laps to chase down Bearman. Yet the Dane’s experienced hustling was not enough to put rookie Bearman off as he firmly held his own.

Kevin Magnussen ‘tried to scare’ the Ferrari F1 reserve driver

Former Williams F1 reserve driver, Aitken, admired the ‘very good job’ Bearman displayed to defend from Magnussen, whilst also attacking the cars in front of the Ferrari Driver Academy talent. He felt the teen dealt with the pressure from a 166-Grand Prix entrant rather wisely.

“Magnussen is trying to scare the young Brit out of that position but Bearman is not having it,” Aitken said on BBC Radio 5 Live. “He is doing a very good job of protecting his front wing, protecting his car well there.”

Bearman rarely gave Magnussen even half a sniff at sending the Haas down the inside of his Ferrari in the Saudi Arabian GP. The youngster kept his cool under the pressure from a driver who made their debut at the 2014 Australian GP with McLaren and finished on the podium.