Bearman Battles Red Flags and Rivals in Jeddah Race

In a Free Practice with more stops and starts than an old engine thanks to two red flags, Ollie Bearman kept his cool and avoided much of the drama, completing the fastest lap of the session.

Qualifying

But he was just getting started. In a Qualifying hampered by a further three red flags, the sheer speed of the Jeddah circuit was clear. The session was a high-octane display of speed as Ollie scorched his way to second place on the grid, securing a front-row start for Sunday’s feature race.

Sprint Race

Saturday’s Sprint Race was a nail-biter from the start, with Zane Maloney’s spin setting off a chain reaction of twists and turns just moments into the race. Ollie seized the opportunity when the race restarted on lap five gaining a track position. But disaster was ahead on Lap 7 when championship leader Theo Pourchaire out-braked himself while attempting to pass Victor Martins in Turn 1, ploughing into the side of the Prema and ending both his and Ollie’s race.

Thankfully, both drivers emerged unscathed and Pourchaire was quick to apologise to Ollie for the mishap. With the Feature Race still to come, Ollie was determined to give it his all.

Feature Race

Starting in second place on the grid in Sunday’s Feature Race, Ollie got off to a flying start taking the lead into the first corner. Maintaining the lead to lap eight before pitting for fresh tyres, Ollie rejoined the track in eighth place.

A chaotic Lap 17 threw a wrench in Ollie’s plans with a spin at turn 22 pushing him down to 11th place. Refusing to let the spin slow him down, Ollie brought it home in 10th place, collecting a valuable championship point.

While this race may be over, the season is shaping up to be a wild ride. Buckle up for the next one as we head to Melbourne on the next race weekend 31-02 April.