Oliver Bearman is preparing for a full-time racing seat in Formula 1 next season with Haas after a successful junior career.
He has impressed in F1 this year, replacing Carlos Sainz in Saudi Arabia and Kevin Magnussen in Azerbaijan on race weekends.
Bear man scored points on both outings and took points for Ferrari at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, despite missing Friday’s practice sessions.
The British driver is competing for Hare at the Grand Prix of São Pauloat least until the sprint, because Kevin Magnussen is unwell and cannot race.
Bearman rode well on Friday, adapted to a new circuit in training for the sprint qualifying and achieved 10th place.
He reached SQ3 but made a critical mistake that caused confusion Karun Chandhok while commenting on the session Sky Sports F1.
Karun Chandhok believes Oliver Bearman should have recharged his batteries instead of continuing his flying lap
Photo by Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images
The margins in Formula 1 are so small that even the smallest mistake on a lap can make a significant difference.
Bearman showed good pace, which was a good step as he had not raced on the track before in any category.
He wanted to improve his lap time in the closing stages of the top 10 shootout, but made a critical mistake when he cut the power in Turn 2.
READ MORE: Ferrari will offer Haas an F1 driver with 21 points if they have to call up Oliver Bearman next season
Bearman ran wide onto the curb, losing time in the first sector of the lap, and was unable to recover in the final part of the track.
Chandhok believes Bearman should have withdrawn instead of looking for improvement as he could have recharged his batteries and completed another timed lap.
He said: “He got greedy on the throttle at the top of the second part, the right-hander, and that took him wide out. I don’t know why he didn’t come out because it actually happened in turn two.
“He could have come out then, fully charged the battery, and he would have had time because his mid-sector is good. I think there’s a bit of a flaw in that. He could have left it and gone again.”
Oliver Bearman’s time in Formula 1 was not absolutely flawless
Bearman’s mistake at the end of qualifying for the Sprint cost him time and a chance to oust Alex Albon into ninth place.
He performed admirably despite the mistake and qualified higher on the grid for the sprint than his more experienced teammate Nico Hulkenberg.
Bearman was involved in an incident with Albon last time in practice Grand Prix of Mexico City causing damage to the car.
He has made very few mistakes in his F1 appearances and showed good pace and promising signs ahead of his first full season in 2025.
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