Damon Hill made his Formula 1 debut midway through the season in 1992. It was a brief cameo, but he performed well enough to earn a full-time seat for ’93.
Hill got his chance at the cash-strapped Brabham team, replacing Giovanna Amati for the British and Hungarian Grands Prix. The team’s subsequent collapse forced him back into a test role at Williams, but they gave a full-time seat a year later.
This year, there are five rookies on the grid, and two of them had made their debut already. Jack Doohan unexpectedly drove for Alpine at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2024 after the team negotiated an early split with Esteban Ocon.
More notably, Oliver Bearman already had three races under his belt. This means that, technically, Bearman isn’t a rookie, but he’s still included in the group in practice.
After making two stand-in appearances for Haas and one for Ferrari, Bearman was poised for a fast start at the Australian Grand Prix. But the effects of an FP1 crash rippled throughout his weekend, with a gearbox issue eliminating him from qualifying before a scoreless Sunday.
David Croft said Bearman sounded ‘broken’ after Australia, but he responded well in Shanghai. Having started 17th, he charged through to 10th, which later became eighth after the two Ferraris were disqualified.
Damon Hill insists Oliver Bearman shouldn’t feel bad over ‘ciao’ radio message at Chinese Grand Prix
Bearman executed some fine overtakes on his charge up the order as Haas suddenly found speed after a miserable Melbourne. After passing fellow youngsters Liam Lawson and Doohan at the hairpin, he said ‘ciao’ over the radio.
In quotes on Instagram by Motorsport, the 19-year-old expressed regret. Some may argue it was a little disrespectful to his competitors.
“I feel really bad now,” he said. “I overtook someone and I said, ‘Ciao.’”
But writing on his own story, Hill assured Bearman there was no reason to feel guilty. The 1996 world champion says he shouldn’t feel restricted over the radio.
“You’re NOT bad,” he wrote in response to the quotes. “Say what you like!”
Bearman’s four-point haul in Shanghai vaulted him up to 12th in the standings. Esteban Ocon netted double figures in P5, which leaves Haas just three points behind Ferrari.
How Oliver Bearman conjured Nigel Mansell memories at Chinese GP
F1 fans felt Bearman was ‘robbed’ of Driver of the Day in China. The award bizarrely went to Kimi Antonelli, who was outclassed by teammate George Russell.
However, the theory is that Antonelli won Driver of the Day for the F1 Fantasy bonus. There are calls to change the rule for upcoming races.
Peter Windsor compared Bearman to Nigel Mansell, an F1 world champion at Williams, after what he saw last weekend. Mansell would say things like ‘come on, out of the way, over the radio.
Bearman conjured that same playful spirit during Sunday’s race. As a member of the academy, he’s trying to impress Ferrari and position himself as Lewis Hamilton’s long-term successor.
