Oliver Bearman endured a torrid start to the 2025 season. His first race in Melbourne was tarnished by multiple mistakes.
The young Brit had impressed in his three substitute appearances in 2024 with Ferrari (Jeddah) and Haas (Baku and Sao Paulo). The latter signed Bearman on a multi-year deal to partner with Esteban Ocon.
Under the guidance of Ayao Komatsu, the American team were profitable for the first time in their history in 2024. Haas are looking to build on a strong year where they narrowly missed out on sixth in the constructors’ championship.
However, the team had the most question marks around them after pre-season testing as Bearman did not complete any qualifying runs. The true speed of the VF-25 was unclear in Bahrain – at the Australian Grand Prix, it was discovered they were dead last.
Bearman had a miserable weekend from start to finish. He crashed in FP1 and could not compete in FP2, requiring practically a new engine. The Brit made another mistake in FP3 as he spun after three minutes into the gravel trap.
In qualifying, Bearman suffered a power unit issue and could not set a time. Ocon was slowest in P19, locking out the back row for Haas.
Ayao Komatsu admits Oliver Bearman was ‘uncharacteristic’ in Melbourne after private talks in Shanghai
The 20-year-old managed to keep his car out of the wall – unlike four other rookies who crashed out in the tricky conditions. However, Bearman and Ocon were still off the pace and they finished P14 and P13 respectively.
Guenther Steiner could not believe how bad Haas were in Melbourne as he lamented the many mistakes Bearman made over the weekend. Speaking on Sky Sports during practice for the Chinese Grand Prix, the Haas boss admitted the Brit was ‘uncharacteristic’ in the season-opener.
Komatsu told the rookie to go back to the basics and he will deliver in Shanghai: “Yeah, honestly that Melbourne weekend, that was very uncharacteristic of [the] Ollie I know.
“So basically the message is to go back to what he was very good at before and we know his capability.
“I know that he’s going to deliver this weekend.”
READ MORE: Who is 2025 Haas driver Oliver Bearman? Everything to know
Oliver Bearman has listened to Ayao Komatsu with his Sprint qualifying performance
Komatsu was ‘totally blindsided’ by Haas’ performance in Melbourne. Their lack of pace was a complete shock to the team – they will want to see some improvement in Shanghai.
Unfortunately for Ocon, the Frenchman is still struggling with the VF-25 as he was eliminated in SQ1. Meanwhile, Bearman found another level and reached SQ2, qualifying 12th.
The Brit outqualified Carlos Sainz in the Williams and fellow rookies Gabriel Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar. He missed out on SQ3 by under two tenths.
Bearman seems to have taken Komatsu’s advice on board and found some performance from the VF-25. He will look to carry the momentum into the Grand Prix and potentially score points.
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