Max Verstappen topped the charts in the final practice session leading up to qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, while Zhou Guanyu and Sauber faced a tight deadline to repair his car following a significant crash at Turn 7.
Substituting for the sidelined Carlos Sainz, Oliver Bearman, who stepped in due to Sainz’s appendicitis surgery, posted the 10th fastest time. The Ferrari protégé trailed teammate Charles Leclerc by seven-tenths of a second.
Oliver Bearman made history as Ferrari’s youngest-ever rookie
All eyes were on the Ferrari camp as they scrambled to find a replacement driver after Carlos Sainz fell ill with appendicitis and underwent emergency surgery.
In a swift move, Ferrari called upon Formula 2 racer Bearman to fill in for Sainz, a remarkable opportunity for the British youngster who transitioned from Prema to Ferrari, setting a new record as the youngest rookie in Ferrari’s history.
The 18-year-old wasted no time, immediately hitting the track and clocking a respectable 1:33.1 on his initial outing. As the session progressed, Bearman improved his time by two seconds, while the rest of the field followed suit.
Lewis Hamilton, opting for a rear wing with increased downforce compared to Thursday’s setup, seized the lead with a 1:30.2 lap, narrowly edging out the Ferrari rookie by 0.024s, with George Russell securing the third spot.
However, Red Bull’s Sergio Perez surged to the top with a blistering 1:29.5 lap, followed closely by Max Verstappen.
Despite Charles Leclerc’s medium tire advantage over Red Bull’s softs, Verstappen retaliated with a lightning-fast 1:28.9 lap. Kevin Magnussen of Haas was surprised by clinching the third position.
Meanwhile, Logan Sargeant of Williams found himself at the bottom of the timesheets after damaging his FW46 by clipping a wall, rendering his car undriveable.
The session witnessed further drama as Verstappen reported hitting an object at Turn 10, while Pierre Gasly and Lance Stroll navigated through traffic.
In a high-speed incident, Zhou Guanyu lost control at Turn 7, crashing sideways into the barrier with considerable impact, prompting a red flag. Despite escaping unscathed, Sauber faced a tight race against the clock to repair Guanyu’s car ahead of qualifying.
As the session resumed, Verstappen emerged as the fastest, posting a 1:28.412 lap, leading Leclerc by 0.196s, with Perez in third. Bearman concluded the session in 10th place, trailing by 0.894s following a minor error at Turn 22 during his soft tire run.
