Toto Wolff admitted that he was impressed to see how well Oliver Bearman performed in FP3 considering the level of pressure that Formula 1 has.
The young Britton had to step in to replace Carlos Sainz as the Spaniard was diagnosed with appendicitis and needed to undergo surgery. Bearman didn’t have much time to prepare before his first official session with Ferrari, but he still managed to enter the top 10 and completed the day’s program.
Wolff said that young drivers who come into Formula 1 are performing at a “very high” level. He also added that Bearman might prove to be competitive during the Saudi Arabian’s weekend.
“The young kids that come in, their level of performance is very high,” he told Sky Sports F1.
“It is getting so competitive from go-karting to the junior formulas and to put a kid out of F2 in a Ferrari without any sessions and be competitive – I don’t think he even had his engine switched on properly for the last run – so it is very impressive to see and very encouraging for the next generation.
“There is pressure [on Bearman], you’re driving a Ferrari, but the expectations are very low, and if you’ve been given that breathing room, I think he can be very competitive.”