How Oliver Bearman's Ferrari debut was almost derailed by phone credit: "My manager had no money"

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A Peculiar Mishap
Ollie Bearman's sudden debut in F1 at the Saudi Arabian GP as a replacement for Carlos Sainz—who underwent an appendectomy and was forced to temporarily vacate his Ferrari seat—was undoubtedly one of the standout stories of last season. The young English talent, who will drive full-time for Haas this year, almost missed out on that incredible opportunity, which ultimately led to a seventh-place finish in the GP.

Ollie Bearman himself revealed a curious backstory about the Jeddah weekend, which began with him taking pole position in F2 and ended with a points finish in F1. Speaking with David Croft, the Sky Sports F1 commentator, on stage at the Autosport International event, Oliver Bearman recounted: "I was having lunch, and my manager Chris received a call from Fred [Vasseur], but he was out of phone credit. Fred called him, and the phone immediately cut off." – the Ferrari junior admitted.

A Phone Call That Extended His Career
Fortunately, Ollie Bearman managed to get in touch with Ferrari's team principal himself: "I had to call Fred because, luckily, I had topped up my SIM card. That call probably cost my dad a fortune. I told him, 'Fred, I've got 10 seconds, or I'll run out of data.' I obviously knew what was happening," the Englishman concluded, referring to Carlos Sainz's unfortunate withdrawal that gave him the opportunity. "I didn't have time to laugh about it at the time, but now I can." – the 2025 Haas F1 driver concluded.

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