Giedo van der Garde says one driver put in a ‘world-class’ performance during Saudi Grand Prix

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Off the back of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, former Formula 1 driver Giedo van der Garde has suggested Oliver Bearman delivered a world-class performance.

The 18-year-old has been the talk of the Formula 1 world after stepping in at the last minute to replace Carlos Sainz.

Speaking on the DRS Race Show, Van Der Garde hailed the young Brit’s display on the streets of Jeddah.

Bearman drive in Saudi Arabia described as ‘world-class’

Oliver Bearman’s brilliant debut for Ferrari has rightfully earned him a lot of praise but also given Frederic Vasseur a dilemma.

Ferrari were one of the first teams on the grid to confirm their driver line-up for 2025.

Charles Leclerc will be joined by Lewis Hamilton next year at the expense of Carlos Sainz.

On paper, that combination is going to be the strongest pairing on the grid, but Bearman’s performance in Jeddah suddenly raises a question.

While he’s been heavily linked with a Haas seat for 2025, if Bearman is as consistently quick as he appeared in Saudi Arabia, then he won’t settle for a drive at a second-rate team for long.

However, that’s a future problem for Ferrari to deal with and a positive one at that.

Van der Garde instead wanted to concentrate on the world-class job Bearman in Saudi Arabia.

The way he overtook Yuki Tsunoda was impressive and when he was clearly fatiguing in the final laps, he managed to maintain a gap to Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris.

Van der Garde hails Bearman

Speaking about just how good a job the teenager did, Van der Garde said: “It is harder physically and mentally (than F2) and then you only have one training to prepare. That guy really did a world-class job. Unprecedented!

“I know how difficult it is to get in from nothing. And if you don’t have a lot of experience yet, you’re eighteen years old and everyone looks at you like: can you do it? And then you just end up seventh in the race.

“He drove very competitive times and was on average only five-tenths per lap slower than Leclerc.

“I think it’s really cool and you have to remember that it was relatively warm when the race started, that the humidity was high and that it is one of the toughest tracks physically. I thought he really did a fantastic job.

“His start was also good. He didn’t die and in the first laps, he was also in a fight with a few guys [Yuki Tsunoda and Lance Stroll].

“That guy had no fear and wasn’t nervous at all. He has done a world-class job.

“If this guy doesn’t drive F1 next year then I’ll eat another shoe.”

Bearman will hope after his ‘world-class’ outing in Saudi Arabia he doesn’t have to wait too long for another chance to race in Formula 1.

Ferrari will make a late call on Carlos Sainz’s suitability to race in Australia after his appendix surgery.

Bearman could just get one last chance in the SF-24 before concentrating on the rest of the Formula 2 season.