Oliver Bearman has had a tumultuous start to his first season as a full-time F1 driver at Haas, with back-to-back point-less rounds ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
The Briton arrived at Imola after recording his first retirement in the pinnacle of motorsport last time out in the Miami Grand Prix. Bearman had an engine failure on Lap 19 of 57 of the race at Hard Rock Stadium, where the Haas driver even only qualified in 20th and last place.
A point was initially on the cards for the 20-year-old in the F1 Sprint in Florida, which would have seen him bounce back from P13 in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after scoring points in China, Japan and Bahrain, yet Bearman lost his P8 in the Miami Sprint for an unsafe release.
Haas block Oliver Bearman from replicating Max Verstappen’s GT3 Nurburgring test
So, Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu claims Bearman still needs to take the initial phase of his F1 career ‘step by step’ ahead of the Emilia Romagna GP at Imola this weekend. Thus, he has also blocked the Briton from replicating Max Verstappen by potentially testing a GT3 car.
Verstappen tested a GT3 car at the Nurburgring under a false name between the Miami and Emilia Romagna Grands Prix as he works towards earning a licence to race on the legendary Nordschleife. But Komatsu feels Bearman and Esteban Ocon should focus just on Formula 1.
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Komatsu told Motorsport.com: “No. Step by step. Max is a multiple world champion, right? Oli is a rookie. Even Esteban, he’s got still lots to prove. He’s focused. What’s the benefit of them racing in another race?
“I think they’re pretty lucky that they’re driving an F1 car for their job. That’s lots of fun, I think. Honestly, it’s busy enough, really. You know, in between these 24 races, it’s not like we haven’t got enough races, right?
“They need to look after their physical condition [and] mental condition. In between, they have to work with engineers [and in the] simulators. It’s not like they’re sitting at home thinking about what to do. So, I think they’ve got plenty on their hands.”
Alex Albon thinks Max Verstappen’s GT3 test with ‘help you in F1’
But not everyone in the Formula 1 paddock agrees with Komatsu’s view that drivers such as Bearman should not take Verstappen’s GT3 test as a source of inspiration. Williams ace Alex Albon can see clear benefits for improving in F1 by racing in cars from other championships.
Albon stated, via Motorsport.com: “You have to realise that driving is good, no matter what you drive. You have to see it as if you were reading a book or an article about anything. You increase your knowledge and then it doesn’t matter if it’s in an F1 car.
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“It can be a road car or a rally car. It can be anything. You learn how to drive fast in different things and that’s going to help you. It’s going to help you in F1, and in everything you do.”
Albon also speaks from experience as the 29-year-old drove a Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 car in the 2021 DTM championship after losing his Red Bull Formula 1 drive to Sergio Perez. He was also teammates in DTM with Liam Lawson, who even finished second in the standings.
Lawson arguably should have won the 2021 DTM title for AF Corse, too, as Maximilian Gotz only denied the Kiwi the crown by three points at the season-finale at the Norisring due to Kelvin van der Linde crashing into the Red Bull-backed driver and also heavy title favourite.
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