As Oliver Bearman scored points and the official 'driver of the day' plaudits on Saturday, rumours were also beginning to swirl about his full-time future in Formula 1.
Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur admits he was "not optimistic" about the 18-year-old Briton's chances as Bearman was pulled out of the F2 paddock in Jeddah to substitute at the last minute for the ill Carlos Sainz.
"Everybody has noticed how talented he is now and I guess it's just a matter of time before he comes here in Formula 1," said teammate Charles Leclerc.
However, not a single full-time rookie is on the F1 grid this year - a first in the entire modern history of the world championship. But that may change for 2025.
Bearman is already the official reserve at Ferrari-powered Haas this year - the small American team that has a key technical facility on the grounds of Ferrari's Maranello HQ.
He is scheduled to take over a Haas cockpit on six occasions for initial practice this season, so coupled with his impressive debut in Jeddah, a full-time drive for 2025 appears likely.
Just days ago, Haas boss Ayao Komatsu characterised Kevin Magnussen's qualifying deficit to Nico Hulkenberg in Bahrain recently as "not acceptable".
"The first conclusion is usually the simplest, and that is that he (Bearman) will drive for Haas next year," former F1 driver and current Dutch GP boss Jan Lammers told NOS.
"Haas also needs a driver like him. I think Bearman can do very well there, and their headquarters are also in Maranello, which is no coincidence," he added.
Another former F1 driver, Ralf Schumacher, says he's relieved that Bearman proved that teenaged rookies can handle the big step up to F1 - good news also for 2025 Mercedes candidate Kimi Antonelli, who is Bearman's 17-year-old Formula 2 teammate.
"It was very important that someone like him was thrown in the deep end like that. Every team was almost afraid to take on new drivers," Schumacher told Sky Deutschland.
"Hopefully it will lead to new drivers coming in again. I see him in Formula 1 next year."
Danish racing driver Jason Watt agrees that Bearman's performance is bad news for 31-year-old Magnussen.
"In my book, it's written in huge letters that one of the two current Haas drivers will not be offered an extension for 2025," he told Ekstra Bladet newspaper.
Even Bearman doesn't deny that Haas could be his big opportunity next year.
"I have a lot of free practice with them this year," he said. "I look forward to building a good relationship there and hopefully a door will open. That would be fantastic," he said.
Ferrari team boss Vasseur agreed: "He still has the opportunities to test the car and take part in the first practices, and we'll look at that carefully.
"The focus for him is on the F2 season," the Frenchman confirmed, before laughing: "And I will keep in mind that he was on pole here (at Jeddah) and I ruined his F2 weekend for him."
Frits van Amersfoort, who ran Bearman in Formula 4, told NOS on Saturday: "Racing is in every fibre of Ollie's body. You can smell it on him.
"Just like Max (Verstappen), he is a pure talent. Guys like them know how to drive fast in the most natural way." body check tags ::
