The importance of Ollie Bearman’s super-sub showing in Saudi Arabia
The increased number of young drivers knocking on the door has not only coincided with available seats, but a desire and willingness from Formula 1 teams to place their trust in youth over experience.
As the budget cap era continues to promote a model of efficiency from the teams, finding new avenues and gains in performance is crucial.
With the competitiveness of each team continuing to close up and each tenth of a second ever more precious, Michel believes teams have started to change their approach with their line-ups, as risk-taking in the driver market has become more favourable.
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“For quite a long time, the teams in F1 were a bit reluctant in taking on rookies because of the value of each position in the [Teams’] Championship in terms of prize money,” Michel explained.
“That image changed a lot last year. I think the one moment that impacted things the most was Ollie Bearman and what he did in Jeddah. Suddenly, people saw an F2 driver getting the drive out of the blue and going right into Qualifying – he still did a great weekend. He was fast, he was consistent, and he didn’t make a mistake.
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