Oliver Bearman previously admitted that his mother took some convincing for him to drop out of the King Edward VI Grammar School to chase his F1 dream - and it's set to pay off this weekend in Saudi Arabia.
The British teenager has long been tipped for a bright future in motorsport having impressed during his karting career.
Bearman quickly began to make a name for himself in the lower formulas and was snapped up by Ferrari to join their driver's academy at the age of 16 after he won both the German and Italian F4 Championships.
The decision has already paid off with Bearman now set to become the third-youngest driver in F1 history this weekend when he steps in to replace Carlos Sainz.
The Spaniard underwent surgery after being diagnosed with appendicitis with Bearman taking Sainz's seat from FP3.
Oliver Bearman will be the third youngest driver in F1 history
GETTY
But making that step up to join Ferrari's academy wasn't a straightforward decision it seems.
Bearman admitted last year that his mother, Terri, needed some convincing to leave the King Edward VI Grammar in Chelmsford to chase a career in motorsport.
The teenage sensation ended up moving to Modena, 12 miles north of Ferrari's Maranello base, and he clearly had no regrets over the decision when speaking about it last year.
"Maybe I got a bit lucky not to get the Essex accent," he told the Daily Mail.
"A lot of people have told me my accent has changed, even if I don't notice it.
"I spend a lot of time with Italians, and communicating with people whose first language is not English isn't easy, so I have changed my word order and ended up with this everywhere accent.
"When I moved to Modena it happened pretty quickly. It was like going to university two years early, but I have loved every moment so far.
"My mum was very pro-school and very pro-education, but we managed to convince her in the end.
"I miss my family and my dogs. I have an English bull terrier and a Boston terrier and they are very cute.
"That is the negative side. But the food in Italy is a big chunk above the English stuff, and the weather is better, too."
Bearman only made the step up to the F2 Championship last year where he won four races for Prema Racing and finished sixth in the championship.
Oliver Bearman joined the Ferrari academy two years ago
GETTY
He had secured pole for the F2 feature race in Saudi Arabia this week, but he'll no longer be taking part due to his commitments with Ferrari.
Bearman got his first chance of getting behind the wheel of the Ferrari in FP3 where he finished 10th fastest.
Ferrari confirmed Sainz's surgery had been a success shortly after the final practice session.
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Oliver Bearman was out on track in FP3
GETTY
"Carlos is out of surgery," the Italian team said.
"Everything went well and he is now resting at the hospital.
"We send him our full support for a quick recovery."
