"The cars are too easy" point raised after "remarkable" Oliver Bearman F1 debut

Eddie Jordan has lauded Oliver Bearman as a “megastar in the making” following his impressive debut - but has questioned the difficulty of driving a modern F1 car.

Bearman was a last-minute replacement for Carlos Sainz, who was ruled out of the Saudi Arabian weekend with appendicitis.

The 18-year-old narrowly missed out on Q3 before finishing seventh on race day, ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris.

Bearman is currently competing in FIA Formula 2 with Prema, but is likely to be on the F1 grid in 2025.

Speaking on the Formula for Success podcast, Jordan said that “Britain should be very proud” after Bearman’s debut.

“At 18 years of age, also when you heard him speak, the way he’s been brought up, educated, Britain should be very proud,” he said.

“This is an absolutely megastar in the making. There’s actually maybe six or eight of these [drivers] around. The young drivers, in my opinion, that aren't getting the chance.

“I am sure Carlos is sitting in his bed, hopefully recovering at a very quick rate, and he’s saying to himself ‘my God, I better get my seat sorted for 2025’ because there’s lots of good kids that can stand in.”

Despite Bearman’s “remarkable” performance in Jeddah, Jordan feels that it showed that the current generation of cars are potentially too easy to drive.

“It also says to me that the cars are too easy to drive compared to what they used to be like,” he added. “That’s indicative to a driver like this, with the minimal of testing, at the last minute, being told put a set of overalls and do a race on a track like Saudi - it was remarkable.

“To finish in front of Lewis, in front of Lando, was for me, spectacular. Sure the Ferrari has improved over the last couple of years.

“It’s a good car to go into but remarkable. I just hope we see him again - I really hope we give these kids a chance. If it means making 12 teams in the future - make it 12 teams.”