Oliver Bearman is all smiles as he arrives for F1 debut in Saudi Arabia… with the 18-year-old Brit to line up for Ferrari in place of the ill Carlos Sainz

Oliver Bearman was all smiles as he arrived this afternoon for his Formula One debut.

The 18-year-old will make his debut in the sport with Ferrari, replacing Carlos Sainz, who was absent over the weekend with appendicitis.

The Essex-born teenager will start from 11th on the grid after narrowly missing out on a place in Friday’s third and final round of qualifying, but his aim will be to finish in points in one of the best cars on the grid.

His teammate for the weekend, Charles Leclerc, will start second behind world champion Max Verstappen.

Bearman seemed relaxed as he arrived at the Jeddah Corniche circuit with his Ferrari team a few hours before the second race of the season began.

Bearman’s final lap in Q2 was just 0.036 seconds slower to put him in the top 10 and Q3 at Jeddah.

The youngster is expected to move up the grid when the lights go out on Saturday afternoon.

He revealed how special it felt to drive for Ferrari in F1, as he became the first Englishman to drive for The Prancing Horse since Nigel Mansell in 1990.

“The stars have aligned,” Bearman said. “It feels like a very rapid progression in my career since I drove in F4 a few years ago (in 2021).

“I only did my first F1 test a few months ago (in 2023), so making my F1 debut in red is hopefully a sign of things to come,” he added.

‘I didn’t receive any notice. I woke up this morning fully prepared and ready for my F2 race and then got the call a couple of hours before FP3. These are not the circumstances in which I would have liked to debut and I wish Carlos the best, but it is still a fantastic opportunity.

At only 18 years and 10 months, he is the third youngest F1 driver in history, only behind Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll.

Meanwhile, Sainz required surgery for his illness and it is still unclear if he will be fit to compete in two weeks.

The Spaniard shared the news of his surgery on social media on race day, posting: ‘Sainz 2-0 appendicitis’, accompanied by an older photo of his father also undergoing surgery.

‘Thank you all for your messages these last 24 hours. I really feel your support.”