Haas Formula 1 driver Oliver Bearman celebrated a strong performance in the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix. After starting the race from 17th, the British driver crossed the line in 10th but was later promoted to P8 after the disqualifications of Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, and Pierre Gasly.
While pulling off multiple overtakes through the rear and midfield, Bearman started to enthusiastically shout ‘ciao!’ over the team radio as he passed his competition, without realising the moments were being included in the main broadcast.
The 19-year-old driver was blissfully unaware that fans had been enjoying the brief moments until an interview with F1 TV. When asking about the playful comments, Laura Winter asked, “Ollie, firstly: ciao! Come on, explain it — we were loving the sass on the radio!”
Bearman responded:
“I feel really bad now. I overtook someone and I said, ‘ciao.’
“We had two switchbacks in the Turn 14. It was with one of the Red Bulls and Alpine. So I was happy with those overtakes.”
Bearman is now 12th in the standings with 4 points. Reflecting on his race, the Haas driver explained:
“It’s been a really good day, I’m super happy with the result – I didn’t expect points today. Everything I was doing with the car worked, and that’s a nice feeling to just have the groove and then to have some points to show for it.
Liam Lawson, Red Bull Racing, Jack Doohan, Alpine, Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
“I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting a one-stop race today but the tires were lasting much better than they were yesterday, the car was fantastic. The team have done a great job to turn things around from the struggles in the sprint race. Huge credit to them for the job they’ve done today – everything was well executed.”
His team-mate Esteban Ocon also brought points home with a P5 finish after the disqualifications. Team principal Ayao Komatsu reacted to the successful weekend.
“It’s been an amazing day. We reacted to our change of circumstances very well. Like I said before, the reaction after the Sprint yesterday to change the car set-up, it really worked for qualifying and the race.
“Communication and execution in the race today was really good. I think it’s the best reaction I could have asked for, everyone has just gotten on with the work after Melbourne. I wasn’t expecting to score seven points today, if somebody had told me would could have scored one point I’d have been happy. It’s an amazing result. I’m looking forward to working together as a team and improving this car.”
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