Jock Clear, head of Ferrari’s Driver Academy, believes that Oliver Bearman is ‘ready’ for a full-time F1 seat.
The statement comes after 18-year-old Bearman sealed an impressive seventh-place finish in Saudi Arabia on his F1 debut.
He was called on at short notice to step in for the illness-stricken Carlos Sainz.
“I was convinced before that and I think the fact that Fred [Vasseur] was brave enough to put him in this car this weekend, under the circumstances, speaks volumes for what we’ve seen of him already,” said Clear.
“I don’t want to belittle or diminish the achievement, we really, really are over the moon with everything, but we sort of put him there thinking, ‘I think he can do this’. And he’s absolutely vindicated that choice.”
When asked whether Bearman is ready to take the step up permanently, Clear added: “I think so.”
