Ferrari chief says Ollie Bearman’s debut was even better than 52-year-old F1 world champion’s

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Ferrari senior performance engineer Jock Clear has suggested that Ollie Bearman’s Formula 1 debut was even more impressive than former world champion Jacques Villeneuve’s.

The 18-year-old had hours to prepare for the final Free Practice session in Saudi Arabia after putting his PREMA on pole position for the Formula 2 Feature Race that weekend.

Speaking on the F1 Nation Podcast, Clear couldn’t believe how well he did and suggested it’s the most complete first outing he’s ever seen.

Clear believes Bearman’s debut was even better than Villeneuve’s

Oliver Bearman became the third-youngest person to make their Formula 1 bow on Saturday.

He wasn’t there just to make up the numbers and scored six points for Ferrari, putting him in the top ten of the Drivers’ Standings at this early stage of the season.

There have been some spectacular debuts in Formula 1, such as Giancarlo Baghetti’s victory during the 1961 French Grand Prix.

Kevin Magnussen finished runner-up in Australia in 2014 for McLaren and to this day it’s his only podium finish.

Jacques Villeneuve immediately hit the ground running in 1996 when he made his F1 debut but Clear believes Bearman’s effort was even better.

The Canadian arrived off the back of winning Indy Car in 1995 and joined a dominant Williams team.

He finished second in Australia during his first race, taking pole position and the fastest lap.

Bearman sets a high bar for F1 debuts after Saudi GP display

Asked if he had seen a better debut than the one from Bearman in Saudi Arabia, Clear said: “I suppose you would all say that I’m a bit biased and Jacques [Villeneuve] had won an IndyCar championship when he got in an F1 car.

“But obviously he put it on pole in Melbourne and he would have won that race if Adrian [Newey] hadn’t told us to move over and let Damon [Hill] win in 1996.

“Jacques was 26 years old at that time, this guy’s 18 so at his stage having come out of an F2 car at 18 years old, I’ve never seen anything better than that.”

Villeneuve went on to finish second in the Drivers’ Championship in 1996 and as much as Bearman impressed Clear in Saudi Arabia, it’s unlikely he’ll be replicating that feat this year.

The 52-year-old went one better the following year and won the championship but his F1 career dwindled from that point.

He spent much of his time in the sport with BAR, but they never lived up to their early hype when they arrived on the grid in 1999.

Bearman will hope when he gets his chance in Formula 1, he makes slightly better decisions when it comes to his team selections.