A strong Chinese Grand Prix saw Oliver Bearman take home an eighth place finish with the Haas F1 team.

It was a much-needed change of pace for the Haas outfit, which sees the team sitting sixth in the World Constructor Championship standings.

Ciao, Oliver Bearman!

But Bearman did have a little something to blush about after the race!

After overtaking a Red Bull and an Alpine, Bearman popped on the radio to cheer, “Ciao!” It seemed to be a well-earned moment of celebration for a driver who kicked off 2025 on the wrong foot.

But Bearman had no idea that the message was being aired on the official Formula 1 broadcast.

When Bearman and teammate Esteban Ocon arrived for a post-race debrief with the F1TV crew, Laura Winter and Jolyon Palmer greeted Bearman with a resounding, “Ciao!”

“Ollie, firstly: Ciao,” Winter said, beginning their post-race debrief. “Come on, explain it — we were loving the sass on the radio!”

Looking a bit more embarrassed than he’d been on the comms, Bearman responded, “I feel really bad now. I overtook someone and I said, ‘Ciao.’”

Laura Winter confirmed that Bearman did indeed repeat that phrase twice.

“We had two switchbacks in the Turn 14,” Bearman explained. “It was with one of the Red Bulls and Alpine. So I was happy with those overtakes.”

More analysis from the Chinese Grand Prix:

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Though Bearman impressed in his three one-off races during the 2024 Formula 1 season, his full-season debut proved to be challenging.

The Briton wrecked during FP1 in Australia, losing out on FP2 running due to the repairs. A gearbox issue prevented him from qualifying, and in the race, he struggled through the rain to finish the race.

The Chinese Grand Prix weekend, though, was a much better story. The Haas team repaired some issues after the sprint race, and during the Grand Prix, Bearman was unstoppable.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the race, Bearman said he was “just super happy.

“We did a great job. Good execution on everything.

“I was not expecting to do a one-stop; I was quite shocked when we pitted onto a medium, but the tires were lasting much better than they were yesterday, and we did a great job with the set-up changes.

“The car was fantastic today. I was happy.”

Bearman spoke with confidence, clearly pleased with the work he and the team had put in.

But does the Haas have what it takes to be regularly competitive in the future — or was this performance specific to China?

“I think this track definitely suits what we have,” Bearman admitted.

“It’s the type of track that, on paper, is good for our car: Very smooth, not many bumps, and stuff like that, which — that’s what we’re looking for at the moment.

“We’ll try and smooth all the other ones out if we can.

“It is partly due to the track, but I think we can continue a decent amount of form for the next races.”

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