At this rate, he will have his fourth consecutive championship sewn up in record time – assuming he doesn’t quit the team at any point before then. Red Bull remain as chaotic off the track as they are assured on it, although Verstappen said he hoped the drama could be put behind them. “I always said that what is important is that we stay together as a team,” he insisted in his press conference afterwards. “Hopefully from now on that is the case.”
Verstappen was so relaxed heading into this race he stayed up until after 3am local time on Saturday morning gaming with other live streamers on Twitch.
Bearman provided some welcome relief from that saga. His story, becoming the youngest Briton ever to compete in a Formula One grand prix, was wonderfully feelgood.
He had to fend off challenges from two of his more illustrious compatriots, too. McLaren’s Norris and Mercedes’ Hamilton both pushed him hard in the final stint as they fought back after late pit stops for fresh tyres on inverted strategies. But after initially taking chunks out of Bearman’s advantage, their tyres began to fade, and Norris and Hamilton were left fighting among themselves for eighth place rather than challenging the teenager.
It was another frustrating race for Mercedes. Russell finished sixth and Hamilton ninth behind Bearman and Norris. Hamilton said the team needed to make “big changes” to the car. “It was like I was in a different category when I was going through the high-speed compared to the other guys around me,” he said.
Unsurprisingly, he was left grinning from ear to ear.
“A little tired,” Bearman admitted of how he felt by the end of what was by far the longest race of his career. “You can probably see I don’t look my best. But it was a fantastic race, pushing all the way. Especially at the end when I had the two guys on softs bearing down on me. I couldn’t really but it was a really exciting and fun race.
“The countdown seemed like it was going slower than normal. I think we managed it [the final stint] really well.”
Bearman, who was named driver of the day in the fans’ vote, added: “I think I did my fastest lap on the last one. It was really fun and I felt good confidence. I was building throughout the race… I felt like I could really push. There’s a bit more to it to overtake in F1 rather than F2. It’s just really difficult to follow… coming so close to these walls one second from the guy in front it’s difficult, it requires more precision.”
It will surely not be long until we see Bearman again in a Formula One race. “A star is born” Hill concluded. “Oliver Bearman, to jump in at such short notice, on a track as intimidating as Jeddah, in a Ferrari of all things, and hold up under immense pressure from Lando and Lewis and keep it together. Wow.”
