Max Verstappen wins again as young Briton Ollie Bearman finishes seventh

By Sports Desk March 09, 2024

Max Verstappen romped to another commanding win at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, as rookie British teenager Ollie Bearman completed a dream debut by beating Lewis Hamilton to finish a brilliant seventh.

Despite threatening to quit Red Bull just 24 hours previously, following another twist in the ongoing Red Bull saga, Verstappen followed his win at the season-opening round in Bahrain last Saturday with another comfortable triumph in his all-conquering machine – remarkably his 19th in 20 appearances.

Sergio Perez completed a one-two finish for Red Bull, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc third.

But for Bearman, just three months old when Hamilton made his debut in 2007, this will be a night he will never forget.

Handed his shock debut as an 11th-hour stand-in for Carlos Sainz, the boy from Chelmsford, 18 years, 10 months and one day, drove into the record books as the youngest British driver to start a Formula One race.

Standing at 6ft 3in, the streaky teen followed in the footsteps of British greats’ Mike Hawthorn and John Surtees by racing for the scarlet team – and the first Englishman to do so since Nigel Mansell 34 years ago.

Bearman appeared at ease before the start, smiling with his engineers and grinning from ear-to-ear as he addressed the Sky cameras before taking his position between Yuki Tsunoda and Kevin Magnussen at the front of the grid for the national anthem.

With just one hour of practice under his belt, and a qualifying appearance – labelled incredible by Verstappen – Bearman, starting 11th, was just moments away from competing against the best 19 drivers in the world.

As the lights flicked from red to green, Bearman was slower away that he would have liked but made up for it by being aggressive on his brakes and hanging on to 11th place, despite a slight detour off the track.

Up front and Verstappen had no trouble in keeping Leclerc at bay. Midway through the opening lap he was already 1.3 seconds clear of the chasing pack.

On lap seven, Lance Stroll put his Aston Martin in the barrier. The Canadian broke his suspension by clipping the armco on the entry to Turn 21 before slamming into the tyre barrier on the opposing side of the track.

Out came the safety car and in came the leaders – bar Norris and Hamilton – for fresh rubber.

Bearman, forced to wait as other cars drove by him as he was stationary, dropped three places to 12th.

Norris led when the race resumed, only for Verstappen to swoop past three laps later. Rookie Bearman was also on the move.

He immediately despatched of Tsunoda for 11th and was in a point-scoring position on lap 14 after he swatted aside Zhou for 10th.

Up next was Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg – and Bearman wasn’t mincing his words.

“Mate he is so slow,” said the 18-year-old of Hulkenberg, the German double his age and in his 205th Formula One start.

And on lap 21 he eased past the Haas driver for ninth, with George Russell only 5.6 sec up the road.

Bearman’s engineer Riccardo Adami was swiftly on the radio. “You are doing a mega job out there,” he said. It was hard to disagree.

Norris and Hamilton, both out of strategy sync after electing not to pit behind the safety car, stopped for fresh tyres and Bearman was now seventh and ahead of both of his countrymen.

When Norris stopped on lap 37 of 50, Bearman was 6.1 seconds up the road. Hamilton, was seven seconds adrift.

“At this pace will Norris catch us or not?” asked the teenager on the radio.

“We might have a chance to stay ahead of both of them,” came the reply from the Ferrari pit wall.

The lap counter ticked down but Bearman showed maturity way beyond his years to hold on to seventh place. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri took fifth ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Mercedes’ Russell.

Bearman took the chequered flag just 5.7 sec behind Russell and comfortably ahead of Norris and Hamilton.

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    McLaren chief executive Zak Brown lauded Lando Norris' "flawless" drive at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

    Norris led from pole on Sunday, and his won ensured McLaren triumphed in the Formula One Constructors' Championship for the first time since 1998.

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    "Lando drove brilliantly. Unfortunate what happened to Oscar at the start, but the team was flawless. They executed the pit stop great.  I think I was the only one who was ready to have a heart attack for about two hours.

    "That race, [Lando] carried us. To not make any mistakes, and we were worried about safety cars, I was worried about everything, and he drove flawlessly.

    "So next, try to repeat the constructors' and get the drivers'. I'll let Oscar and Lando figure that one out."

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    "He's going to give it all he's got, and given the momentum he's on, I wouldn't bet against him," said Brown.

    Speaking at the post-race presentation, Norris said: "It feels incredible. Not for myself but for the whole team. They have done an amazing job from where we were at the beginning.

    "I'm so proud of everyone. It's been a lovely journey. To end the season like this is perfect.

    "For us to win the Constructors' Championship after 26 years is pretty special. We are going to celebrate. This is a historic moment for the team. It's going to be a good night!"

    Piastri, who like Norris was not even born when McLaren last won the Constructors' Championship, also had to deal with a time penalty after he clipped Franco Colapinto in a chaotic opening to the race.

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    "It's a massive credit to everyone at McLaren for what they have achieved this year. Couldn't be prouder of them all. 

    "Very, very happy with the year's work. Nice to seal the deal.

    "[Verstappen] came and apologised straight away and the stewards deemed it was a penalty.

    "We go again next year. Obviously it was a tough race from then on, but again, we achieved our main target and that's what matters."

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    McLaren knew a victory on Sunday would ensure their first title since 1998, and despite a dramatic start, Norris ultimately got the job done as he led through the entire 58 laps.

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    Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, capped off his Mercedes career - before he replaces Sainz at Ferrari - in style, flying up from 16th to finish fourth, ahead of his team-mate George Russell, who gave way to the seven-time world champion on the final lap.

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    It was a poor day for Verstappen's team-mate Sergio Perez, who was potentially making his final appearance for Red Bull.

    He bowed out after less than one lap, after a collision with Valtteri Bottas, who himself was forced to retire later on, potentially bringing the curtain down on his F1 career, with the Finn expected to be a reserve driver next season at Mercedes.

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    "You all deserve this. Thank you so much. It's been a special year. Next year is going to be my year too," said Norris over the team radio after he crossed the finish line, with McLaren winning the title by 14 points.

    Data Debrief: McLaren make their mark

    Norris and Piastri were not even born when McLaren last won a team title, while the 26 years since that last victory is the longest such gap in F1 history. It is the first time since 2009 that a team other than Mercedes or Red Bull have won the championship.

    Hamilton, meanwhile, drew the curtain down on his spectacular Mercedes career with one last hurrah.

    During his time with the team, he set the records for the most wins (105), most pole positions (104) and podium finishes (202). However, he did finish a season outside of the top six for the first time in his career.

    It was a great effort from Ferrari, who were always up against it this weekend, especially after Leclerc was handed a 10-place penalty for a battery change. He at least charged back to finish on the podium for the 13th time in 2024.

    Top 10

    1. Lando Norris (McLaren)

    2. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)

    3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

    4. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

    5. George Russell (Mercedes)

    6. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

    7. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

    8. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)

    9. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

    10. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

    CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

    Drivers'

    1. Max Verstappen - 437 (C)

    2. Lando Norris - 374

    3. Charles Leclerc - 356

    Constructors'

    1. McLaren - 666

    2. Ferrari - 652

    3. Red Bull - 589

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    Lando Norris will start on pole with team-mate Oscar Piastri starting second, as McLaren battle Ferrari for the constructors' championship title. 

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