Haas rookie Oliver Bearman stunned 2009 Formula 1 drivers’ champion Jenson Button with one thing the Briton did en route to eighth in the Sprint at the Miami Grand Prix.
The 19-year-old endured a shocking Friday when Bearman crashed at Turn 12 in the one and only practice session before also only managing to qualify in last place. Yet the Haas star put any frustrations in the past to charge from P20 to P8 in the rain-affected Sprint on Saturday.
Bearman found the wall in practice when the Havering native endured a cheap spin through the slow, double-apex T12. The London-born racer then faced further problems in SQ3 after failing to complete his out lap in time to attempt a second run and improve on his 1:29.825.
Fortunes were very different for another rookie this Friday, as Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli scored pole for the Miami Sprint. The 18-year-old is now the youngest-ever driver to score pole in any F1 format, yet Antonelli lost the lead of the Sprint at T1 to Oscar Piastri.
Oliver Bearman stuns Jenson Button with his double overtake to start the Miami Sprint
But Bearman wasted no time in improving his situation during the F1 Sprint at the Miami GP as the Haas driver overtook his fellow rookies Gabriel Bortoleto of Sauber plus Jack Doohan of Alpine before Turn 1. He dismissed the delayed wet start to slot his VF-25 between them.
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All three had pulled away fairly evenly, yet Bearman made the difference under braking with Doohan stuck behind Williams racer Carlos Sainz and Bortoleto baulked by the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll. And Button was stunned that Bearman avoided any contact with both racers.
Button said on Sky Sports F1 (03/05, 18:53): “For me, that move into Turn 1, whoa, that was amazing. Through the middle of two other cars? I don’t know if they did touch, but it looked like he should have touched both cars. But a great move.”
Oliver Bearman scores his first point in an F1 Sprint with P8 at the Miami Grand Prix
Haas ace Bearman continued to make progress after impressing Button with his early double overtake on Bortoleto and Doohan during the F1 Sprint at the Miami GP to climb up to P8 by the finish behind the safety car. The London native also scored his first-ever point in a Sprint.
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc crashing on his way to the Sprint grid when the rain was at its worst gifted Bearman one place before the event officially started. But his double overtake also moved the Briton ahead of Red Bull racer Yuki Tsunoda after he could only qualify P18.
A lot of Bearman’s progress would come after Haas pitted him for slick medium tyres on Lap 13/18. He also benefited twice from Red Bull racer Max Verstappen’s unsafe release forcing Antonelli to make two visits to the pit lane and the Dutchman receiving a 10-second penalty.
Contact between Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson and Aston Martin ace Fernando Alonso on L14 would also give Bearman another place, as the Spaniard found the same barrier that the Briton hit on Friday. Alonso’s ruined car caused the safety car under which the Sprint ended.
