2024 has seen a new generation start to emerge in Formula One. Oliver Bearman, Kimi Antonelli and Jack Doohan have all got full-time seats on the grid next year. Liam Lawson could join them depending on how he does over the final six events at RB.
Earlier this year in Jeddah, Bearman replaced Carlos Sainz at Scuderia Ferrari from FP3 onwards as the Spaniard had his appendix removed. The 19-year-old put in a stunning showing, finishing P7 in the Grand Prix, ahead of Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton.
Argentina’s Franco Colapinto has done an incredible job since Williams gave him Logan Sargeant’s old seat, but he is not going to be on the grid next year as Audi seems set to choose between Valtteri Bottas and Gabriel Bortoleto. The Grove-based team have Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz locked down on multi-year deals.
On the other side of things, the end of the road has come for Daniel Ricciardo, with Kevin Magnussen departing Haas at the end of 2024. It remains to be seen if Valtteri Bottas stays on the grid.
Bearman drove for Haas in Azerbaijan as he replaced Kevin Magnussen. The Dane picked up a race ban as he hit 12 points on his licence.
In qualifying, the Brit missed out on Q3 by a tenth as he outpaced his German teammate. A move into turn 4 on the penultimate lap allowed Bearman to sneak past Hülkenberg to take P10, with the 37-year-old slowing down more than most following the Carlos Sainz and Sergio Pérez crash.
Last year, Bearman won the Sprint and Feature races in F2 after taking pole with bent steering. It’s a track he goes very well at.
In Singapore, Hülkenberg praised his one-off teammate for the performance he put in at the Azerbaijan GP.
“Ollie did a great job all weekend. He almost didn’t put a foot wrong.
“A very challenging track […] I guess it helps, I think someone said it’s one of his favourite tracks.
“He was very confident, he was really on the money. Fair play to him, he did really well.”
Asked if he got a better understanding of how Bearman operates, Hülkenberg says you get a feeling of what a driver is like on and off track.
It’s not the first time they’ve worked together as Bearman previously ran in FP1 alongside the German at Imola and Silverstone this year, as well as Mexico in 2023.
“Well, not about better understanding, but you get a feeling about how he talks, what he thinks, what he says in the debriefs.
“His driving, obviously you see his data a bit more than just […] I think we’ve done one or two FP1s together, one last year and this year.
“Obviously he’s only at the start of his career, potential is there. He’s going to have the learning curve like we all did.
“I made so many silly mistakes in my career and unfortunately they happen. They still happen now to me, even though I’m experienced. So, s***, it’s part of the game.”
With simulators and so many other things available these days for the drivers to prepare compared to the start of the century, a lot of people believe it’s easier for rookies to jump in now.
Despite both drivers crashing in Baku during practice, Franco Colapinto and Oliver Bearman were superb through qualifying and the race, finishing P8 and P10 respectively in only their second starts in F1.
Hülkenberg continued his praise for the pair, although he added that it will take time to see just how good the Argentine and Brit will ultimately be.
“I think they both did a really good job, absolutely. That’s a fact.
“I think they are very well prepared with everything they go through. But still, you have to stay clean, you have to deliver when it matters, in quali and the race.
“So yeah, I guess time will tell if they’re both just really good and if they’re killers, or if these cars are too easy or what’s going on.”
Incredibly, there has not been a single Safety Car since the Canadian Grand Prix back in June, although that run would have ended if Carlos Sainz and Sergio Pérez’s crash in Azerbaijan happened a couple of laps earlier.
It does, however, show the exceptional standards of driving these days throughout the field.
There is no doubt in Nico Hülkenberg’s mind that the current generation of cars are still tough to drive.
“They’re challenging.
“But then also, if you look statistically, this year we have hardly any yellow flags.
“There’s hardly much going on in the races anymore, so that tells you that they are kind of safe. Driver errors are getting less and less, so there must be a reason for that.
“And I don’t know, they have a lot of downforce and downforce does protect you from mistakes and losing the car in a big way, I guess.
“I don’t know, I find it also challenging. I don’t know how to describe it but it’s an interesting case.”
