Pedro De La Rosa tells 21-year-old he could be the next Oliver Bearman

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Pedro De La Rosa has told Alpine reserve driver Jack Doohan that he could be the next Oliver Bearman after the young Brit’s fantastic outing in Saudi Arabia.

The 18-year-old drove superbly for Ferrari in Jeddah and earned six points for the Italian team in the place of Carlos Sainz.

Speaking on the F1 Nation Podcast, De La Rosa suggested that his fellow co-host needs to be ready if a similar opportunity occurs in the near future.

De La Rosa tells Doohan he could be the next Bearman

The role of a reserve driver isn’t easy and all 10 teams approach it differently.

It involves long hours in the simulator troubleshooting potential issues for the two active drivers on the roster.

Different teams have different numbers of reserve drivers, while some allow their reserves to race in other series compared to others who have the dedicated role of following the team around each weekend waiting for an unlikely opportunity.

Oliver Bearman is one of several reserves available to Ferrari including Robert Schwartzmann and Antonio Giovanazzi.

His position within Formula 2 means he’s regularly in the same place as the F1 paddock although that’s unlikely to be the only reason he was their chosen man in Jeddah.

De La Rosa has told Jack Doohan that he needs to be ready as he could be the next Oliver Bearman this season.

After a strong F2 campaign last year, the 21-year-old Australian is a dedicated reserve driver who doesn’t drive elsewhere right now.

He might be slightly out of practice as a result, but won’t have to adapt to another car if he’s only testing in Formula 1 right now.

Doohan is on alert for F1 opportunity

Speaking to the Alpine youngster, De La Rosa said: “But Jack [Doohan], you know one thing, and I told Felipe Drugovich who is our [Aston Martin] reserve [driver] here, is I told him because I know how a reserve driver feels because I’ve been a reserve driver for ten years.

“But, you always have to feel or believe that it could be you. Next race, Jack Doohan you could be Ollie Bearman because things happen.

“And sometimes reserve drivers forget that these things can happen and you tend to relax or just not be as well prepared, I’m not saying that you aren’t, I felt it in my own skin you know?

“It’s good to believe that these things do happen and the time they happen you have to be fully switched on.

“Normally, the team will always tell you, bring the car back. But, as a youngster, you have to always remember that you need to bring the keys back, not necessarily the car because they will judge you for how quick you are!”

Doohan will hope De La Rosa’s prediction comes true and he gets an opportunity like Bearman soon.

He’s been backed to replace either Esteban Ocon or Pierre Gasly at Alpine in 2025.

After being pushed to turn down some ‘really good’ offers to be Alpine’s reserve driver, he’ll hope he’s rewarded for that loyalty.

Doohan even has the backing of David Coulthard and will hope Bearman’s cameo shows other F1 teams that young drivers are worth taking a risk on.