Strong in the GP, careless on the road: Formula 1 debutant Bearman (18) failed the car test

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He is only 18 years old and is already one of the great figures of this Formula 1 season: Oliver Bearman finished seventh in his first race in the highest racing class during the Saudi Arabian GP.

Bearman has been riding since he was a little kid. At the age of 16 he entered the Ferrari Academy. However, the driving test does not pass on the first attempt. “He failed his test due to a malfunction in the light signal. I’m not sure if it was from running a yellow light. Maybe he didn’t stop,” Bearman’s former driving instructor David Currey (52) now recalls to the “Sun”.

At the time, Currey was surprised by Bearman’s request for driving lessons. “I could see from his Instagram photos that he was already a Formula 3 driver at the time,” said Currey. “We then conducted the driving lessons in his BMW. Even without my foot pedals I felt completely safe.”

But Bearman still failed the test. After all: on the second attempt in October 2022, the 18-year-old would have passed his car exam completely without errors.

Better than Idol Hamilton

In Jeddah the youngster did not need a second attempt: there the Brit even raced across the finish line ahead of his idol, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton (39, 9th place). Bearman had to intervene urgently because Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz (29) had to undergo intestinal surgery.

What would driving instructor Currey advise his former student after his GP debut? “Keep it up and you will become an absolute legend.” He just shouldn’t let the driver hang around in his home country. He doesn’t want to see him in the village with his tires running through a red light.

Source : Blick