Dec.7 (GMM) Oliver Bearman has hit out on the guidelines forbidding him from collaborating in FP1 and subsequent week’s post-season take a look at in Abu Dhabi.
Initially, Ferrari’s plan was to run the 19-year-old Briton in FP1 in Abu Dhabi – however the Maranello crew finally ran Charles Leclerc’s brother Arthur.
That’s as a result of, provided that Bearman has substituted for race drivers 3 times in 2024 – for Carlos Sainz’s appendix surgical procedure in Saudi Arabia, Kevin Magnussen’s one-race ban in Baku, and once more for unwell Haas driver Magnussen in Brazil – the FIA now not recognises him as a “younger driver”.
Below present F1 guidelines, a recognised “younger driver” can’t have performed greater than two grands prix.
So with Esteban Ocon doing the Pirelli tyre take a look at for Haas on day 1 of the Abu Dhabi session, Bearman – to race full-time alongside Ocon on the crew subsequent yr – can also be forbidden to do the take a look at for rookie drivers a day later.
Bearman is unimpressed.
“If we return a couple of years, (Fernando) Alonso did the rookie take a look at after having gained two world championships,” he’s quoted as saying by Marca sports activities newspaper.
Certainly, the FIA granted an exception to Alonso in 2020 as he was returning after a two-year sabbatical with Alpine.
“I’ve solely performed three races, I’ve scored factors twice, and he has two world championships – however he was capable of do the rookie take a look at,” Bearman exclaimed.
The excellent news for Bearman is that, together with Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli, he’ll participate within the Tremendous Formulation take a look at at Suzuka from mid subsequent week.
Bearman is the son of David Bearman, CEO of the insurance coverage large Aventum, whose brand the 19-year-old already wears on his Haas race overalls.
