Oliver Bearman was apologetic on team radio after qualifiyng 11th for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The British teenager had only just qualified on pole for the F2 feature race when he was informed he would be needed to replace Carlos Sainz for Ferrari in F1.
He got some time on track in FP3 before making his official F1 debut later in the day for qualifying.
Some understandable nerves were on show in the first qualifying run as he made a few mistakes that cost him valuable time.
But the 18-year-old showed what he is capable of in the very next run on the same tyres as he crossed the line to move him ahead of Charles Leclerc.
Oliver Bearman made his F1 debut in Saudi Arabia
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He couldn't repeat the feat in Q2 and missed out making it through to the final shoot-out by just three-thousandths-of-a-second.
And Bearman sounded bitterly disappointed on team radio after the session.
He said: "That was a messy session, sorry about that."
After Bearman's elimination, Ferrari's hopes rested on Leclerc to pip Max Verstappen for pole.
The reigning world champion proved too much again, but Leclerc was able to get his Ferrari on the front row for the second consecutive race.
Speaking after qualifying, Leclerc praised Bearman for his performance having only had a few runs in the SF-24.
"First of all I hope Carlos will recover quickly," he said.
"Then on Ollie's side, he has done an incredible job.
"With only one session in FP3 he was straight up to speed and comfortable with the car, so it's good.
Oliver Bearman was able to smile in the garage
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"I'm happy for him obviously. It's a very special day and the first race in Ferrari having only done one session I guess is even more special.
"I hope tomorrow we can both have a great race and score strong points for the team."
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Oliver Bearman was disappointed with his Q2 run
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And Bearman gave a hint at his competitiveness after the session as he spoke of his disappointment at not making it through to Q3.
"At the moment not so proud, the racer in me knows that the car was quick enough to be in Q3, so a little bit disappointed with that," he said.
"But I know that when I look back in a couple of days I'll be quite proud of what I've managed to do today.
"The soft tyre lasts quite well, it's quite durable, so just tried to get as many laps in Q1."