Former F2 rival admits he’s ‘jealous’ of ‘exceptional’ Oliver Bearman

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Oliver Bearman delivered a ‘great result’ for Ferrari on his F1 debut, former F2 adversary Jack Doohan says.

Bearman replaced Carlos Sainz for final practice, qualifying and the race in Saudi Arabia when the Spaniard had to undergo surgery for appendicitis.

And speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, Doohan didn’t hide his envy at the opportunity afforded to the Briton, who finished seventh.

Doohan raced against Bearman in the 2023 F2 championship and finished third in the standings, three spots ahead of the Ferrari junior.

It was his second year in the series after he’d placed sixth in 2022, but he wasn’t able to find a spot on the F1 grid for the current campaign.

Instead, Doohan is serving as the reserve driver for the Alpine team while Bearman goes for glory with Prema.

The 18-year-old qualified on pole for the feature race in Jeddah before he had to withdraw from the weekend to fulfil his Ferrari duties.

Jack Doohan hails Oliver Bearman

Doohan was mightily impressed by Bearman’s showing behind the wheel of the SF-24, especially at such short-notice and under the pressure of donning the scarlet red.

He believes that his driver-of-the-day showing reflects well on the level of talent at the top end of F2.

And when host Tom Clarkson asked whether he was jealous, he argued that it was only right to be.

He said: “It was a great result by him. It’s no easy task, no matter if you’re in a Ferrari. To jump in on a Friday morning, into FP3 and going into qualifying and have to perform, because you’re required to perform in that car and in that team.

“Although it is a very fast car, there is added pressure, there is a lot of things that come in to make you not perform, especially when you’re at a circuit like Jeddah.

“But he did an exceptional job today. It shows that a rookie in Formula 2 last year, coming into his second season, not even finished his second year in Formula 2, he’s ready to be in Formula 1.

“To be honest, I think it proves that a driver like myself – two years in Formula 2 and with quite a lot of mileage in a Formula 1 car – I do feel that it does great justice for myself as well. Hopefully I can be in his position, but full-time, very soon.

“For sure I’m jealous, but he executed it very well. If I wasn’t jealous, I’d question what I’m doing here!”

Will Doohan get 2025 F1 chance?

F1TV presenter Will Buxton has said it would be a ‘massive shock’ if Bearman didn’t get a full-time drive in 2025 off the back of his efforts in Saudi Arabia, and Doohan will hope to join him.

Alpine duo Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon are both out of contract at the end of the season, which may open the door.

The French manufacturer have endured a miserable start to the campaign, ranking as one of the slowest teams on the grid and failing to score a single point.

And David Croft has suggested that Gasly and Ocon may seek a way out of the team in these circumstances.

Aston Martin ambassador Pedro De La Rosa has urged Doohan to bide his time in the knowledge that, like Bearman, he may have a chance to impress at some stage this season.