Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko believes Ferrari has an issue on its hands to find Oliver Bearman a Formula 1 seat following his strong debut in Saudi Arabia.
Bearman was called up after Carlos Sainz was diagnosed with appendicitis and had just a single practice session to get up to speed before qualifying and the Grand Prix.
The 18-year-old ended qualifying in 11th before impressing during the race to cross the line in seventh.
“With Bearman - but also with our Liam Lawson last season or Pedro Acosta's debut in MotoGP - you can see what real exceptional talent looks like,” Marko wrote in his column for Speedweek.
“Of course, the youngsters today are all well prepared when they step up. But only if someone is really good can they achieve such performances right from the start.
“I found the way Acosta attacked Marc Marquez incredibly refreshing, just like Bearman's performance in Saudi Arabia. That's what we all want to see.”
Ferrari's headache
Ferrari will enter next year’s championship with a star-studded line-up of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
Hamilton has been signed on a “multi-year” contract while Leclerc’s new deal has been reported to take him to at least the end of 2027.
With no opening appearing at Ferrari for the foreseeable future, Marko has called on Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur to find Bearman a place on the grid as soon as possible.
“I thought Bearman's debut in the Ferrari was sensational. To drive like that on a track like Jeddah without much practice was really strong,” Marko said.
“At times he was almost driving at the level of Charles Leclerc. But what will Ferrari do now?
“They bought the expensive Hamilton, Leclerc has a longer-term contract, and now Bearman is a super talent.
“If I were Fred Vasseur, I would immediately find Bearman an F1 cockpit in another team, at Haas for example.
“Now they're going to have to spend money again to train him. The teams are currently relatively financially saturated, they will pay dearly for that.”
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