FIA reveal Bearman PENALTY decision on stunning Ferrari debut

Oliver Bearman came within three hundredths of a second of knocking out Lewis Hamilton in qualifying for the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix.

The 18-year-old will become the youngest British driver to start a Formula 1 race on Saturday in Jeddah, having come in as an emergency replacement for Carlos Sainz - stricken with appendicitis.

READ MORE: Ferrari reveal F1 star will MISS Saudi Arabian GP for surgery

Having taken pole position in F2 the day before, Bearman qualified for Saturday’s F1 race in 11th place having missed out by just three hundredths of a second and would have knocked Lewis Hamilton – the driver who will move to Ferrari next year – out of Q2.

However, despite the incredible achievement from the F2 driver, he did face an investigation from the stewards.

Bearman investigated by stewards on debut

Bearman was investigated by the FIA for failing to follow the race directors instructions regarding the maximum delta time in Q1.

In other words, his out or in lap may have been too slow and the stewards came to a conclusion at the end of the session.

After the end of Q3, which saw Max Verstappen take pole position, Bearman was cleared by the FIA and will keep his 11th position for the race.

Following the conclusion of Q2, Bearman appeared to be apologetic to his team, saying ‘sorry’ over the radio after being eliminated in 11th.

In the garage, he added: “That was a messy session. Sorry about that.”

READ MORE: F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weather forecast - Wind could trouble drivers in hot and sticky conditions

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