Haas star Oliver Bearman has returned to the scene of his Formula 1 debut at the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, one year on from becoming the youngest-ever Ferrari driver.
This time the 19-year-old is not a last-minute call-up after Bearman stood in for Carlos Sainz at Ferrari 12 months ago. The Spaniard required emergency surgery for appendicitis the last time F1 visited Jeddah for the Saudi Arabian GP while Bearman was set to race in Formula 2.
His performance in last year’s meeting firmly put the Briton on the F1 map as Bearman even became the youngest Ferrari racer. The Havering native took P7 after qualifying P11, making Jeddah the first track on the 2025 F1 calendar Bearman has raced before returning for Haas.
Karun Chandhok found Haas driver Oliver Bearman’s Saudi Arabian GP FP1 lock up ‘strange’
Yet his first outing at the 2025 edition of the Saudi Arabian GP with Haas was not perfect for Bearman after a near-miss in first practice. The teenager locked up entering Turn 1 a quarter of an hour into the session and clipped the outside wall with the front-right tyre of his VF-25.
READ MORE: Who is 2025 Haas driver Oliver Bearman? Everything to know
Bearman managed to avoid crashing at T1 after locking up both of his front tyres, which was a ‘strange’ sight for Chandhok. The former HRT racer found it odd that Bearman locked both of his front tyres when the Haas pilot ought to have put heat into his brakes back at Turn 27.
Chandhok told Sky Sports F1 (18/04, 14:40): “That was very strange how the car just veered to the right… [He] gets on the brakes, just snatch the front tyres [and] slid into the wall. Did he lock up both fronts in the end? It just grabbed. Something not right there.”
Oliver Bearman can score points in four straight Grands Prix with another top 10 in Jeddah
There are not that many heavy-braking points around the Jeddah Corniche Circuit especially towards the end of a lap, which would have seen Bearman lose at least some temperature in the Haas star’s brakes before locking up and nearly crashing in FP1 at the Saudi Arabian GP.
Bar T27, Bearman would not have been heavy on his brakes since T16 shortly after the mid-point of his lap. Turn 22 is the only other braking point between Turns 16 and 27, yet is not a heavy-braking point, which would have helped towards causing Bearman’s lock-up at Turn 1.
Haas will be glad that Bearman was able to avoid hitting the wall more substantially after he avoided taking any damage, too. The Briton headed to Jeddah on the back of scoring points in each of his last three Grands Prix with P8 in China, P10 in Japan and P10 again in Bahrain.
Bearman astounded Damon Hill at the Bahrain Grand Prix after improving from last place on the grid to take a point in Sakhir. His form at the Chinese and Japanese Grands Prix even saw Chandhok feel Bearman has already ‘emerged’ as Haas’ team leader ahead of Esteban Ocon.
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