British teenager Oliver Bearman savored a dream debut for Ferrari on Saturday, making Formula One history and hailed as Driver of the Day as well as a talent for the future.

The Italian team's youngest-ever rookie at 18 years and 305 days started 11th and finished seventh as a Saudi Arabian Grand Prix stand-in for appendicitis-stricken Spaniard Carlos Sainz.

When he took the chequered flag, he had McLaren's Lando Norris, previously Britain's youngest-ever driver, and Mercedes' seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton in his rearview mirrors.