Oliver Bearman has left testing in Bahrain feeling ‘disappointed’ as he prepares for the Briton’s first race as a full-time Formula 1 driver with Haas at the Australian Grand Prix.
The 19-year-old has graduated from Formula 2 into the pinnacle of motorsport but Bearman is not classified as a rookie. The FIA has stripped the Briton of the rookie tag due to his three cameo appearances over the 2024 Formula 1 season after standing in for Ferrari and Haas.
Bearman became the youngest driver to race for Ferrari in F1 when he substituted for Carlos Sainz at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Haas would also call the Ferrari Driver Academy talent in to replace Kevin Magnussen at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Now, Bearman has a full-time Haas drive, after replacing Nico Hulkenberg beside fellow new recruit Esteban Ocon at the American squad. But Bearman will head to the Australian GP on March 16 feeling a tad unprepared after Haas missed a key chance during testing in Bahrain.
Haas star Oliver Bearman ‘disappointed’ to not do any qualifying simulations at F1 testing
Bearman completed 72, 66 and 59 laps around the home of the Bahrain Grand Prix over the three days of F1 testing as the new Haas driver got to grips with the VF-25. The Chelmsford-raised Havering native recorded a best lap time of 1:32.361 on the morning of the final day.
READ MORE: Who is 2025 Haas driver Oliver Bearman? Everything to know
But while Haas afforded him lots of track time and Bearman gave a thumbs up after his first race simulation in the VF-25, the FDA prospect is slightly ‘disappointed’ to have left Bahrain having not completed any qualifying simulations to learn how their car handles on low fuel.
Bearman said, via quotes by Sky Sports: “We’re going away from this test wanting a little bit more. There’s no denying that.
“I missed out on low-fuel runs through a few issues that we had last night. And this morning unfortunately I wasn’t able to do the performance runs that I was hoping for and that would really help me to get confidence in the car.
“But it’s not all negative because the car was performing pretty well yesterday in high fuel. So, I’m pretty happy with the feeling I have, just of course a bit disappointed I missed out on these quali sims.”
Oliver Bearman did not need much practice to impress in qualifying in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan
Bearman’s technical knowledge has impressed Ocon since the duo became teammates with Haas this year. The Briton may now have to hope his knowledge helps him to extract the VF-25’s full potential come qualifying for the 2025 Australian Grand Prix on March 15, however.
It may have been very helpful for Bearman’s adaptation to have attempted at least one low-fuel run during F1 testing in Haas’ latest car. Yet a lack of preparation did not stop the Briton from impressing in qualifying with Ferrari in Saudi Arabia last season or his cameos for Haas.
READ MORE: All to know about Haas F1 Team from team principal to Ferrari and Toyota ties
Despite Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur only telling the Briton he would be standing in for Sainz at very late notice, Bearman almost reached Q3 for the 2024 Saudi Arabian GP. Lance Stroll for Aston Martin pipped the Briton in P11 by only 0.064 seconds for P10 and the final Q3 place.
Also, Bearman qualified in P11 for the 2024 Azerbaijan GP and even his beat Haas teammate Hulkenberg in P13 by 0.223s. Haas also saw the Briton edge the German in qualifying for the F1 Sprint at the Sao Paulo GP in P10 and P12 plus the feature race in Brazil with P17 and P19.
