How did Sainz help Bearman during his Jeddah debut?

Current F2, and soon-to-be F1 driver Oliver Bearman has now revealed that Carlos Sainz had been intent on helping him get the best out of the SF-24 at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The 19-year-old Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy member is currently an official reserve driver for the team while contesting the FIA Formula 2 Championship for Prema Racing.

Bearman, in his additional role as reserve driver for Scuderia Ferrari, made a memorable Formula 1 debut back in March in Saudi Arabia substituting for the sidelined Carlos Sainz – in doing so becoming the third-youngest racer in Formula 1 history. The then 18-year-old from Chelmsford finished in P7 at his debut.

The Briton has now revealed that Sainz offered him advice and guidance during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, particularly providing information about tyre preparation before qualifying laps.

“[Carlos Sainz] sent me a message after the Qualifying to say ‘good job’ because it’s a bit of a headache in Qualifying, specifically with the tires in Jeddah.”

“I didn’t really know how to prepare the tires, so [Sainz] said, ‘Just get through the first lap pretty cleanly or word to that effect,” Bearman noted.

The three-time F1 race winner made a surprise return in the paddock on Sunday, just two days after his operation. Sainz has now revealed that his doctors advised him to walk, and he elected to complete his walk in the paddock rather than in his hotel room.

“[My] doctors recommended me to go for a walk after the operation. I said rather than walking in my hotel room, I will walk into the paddock and watch the race with my engineers, learn something, and help Ollie and my engineers with anything I can,” Sainz commented.