Bearman focused on improving performance at Chinese GP following tough Melbourne debut
Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool
Ollie Bearman aims for a smoother performance at the Chinese Grand Prix after several 'clumsy mistakes' in Australia set him back. Limited to just 14.5 laps at Albert Park due to crashes in Free Practice 1 (FP1) and FP3, Bearman struggled to prepare effectively for the season's opening race.
With the Chinese Grand Prix featuring the first Sprint weekend of 2025, drivers have only a single hour of practice before Sprint Qualifying on Friday afternoon.
Reflecting on his debut with Haas, Bearman admitted, "It was a difficult weekend for sure. I didn’t make my life easy with the mistakes, the clumsy mistakes I made over the weekend. But I’m glad that we finished the race – maybe not as competitive as we would have liked, but lots of data gathered and collected."
Bearman's FP1 crash in Australia significantly impacted his performance, and he acknowledged the complexity of the Albert Park circuit. "It’s quite easy to move on. They were small mistakes with big consequences, which is just a feature of that track – it’s a bit of a sketchy one on the calendar. I should have approached the sessions differently for a track like that, where there’s no margin for error," he added.
Despite his struggles, Bearman finished 14th and was one of only two rookies to complete the race, with Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes finishing fourth. Bearman remained the last classified finisher as teammate Esteban Ocon also failed to capitalize on the chaotic race, unlike former Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg, who scored points for Kick Sauber.
Addressing the lack of pace in Australia, Bearman said, "Race one was a bit of a surprise for all of us within the team, about how uncompetitive we were. We have a few pointers now as to why that was, particularly in the race. We were a bit out of the window of performance, so we have a few ideas now heading into Shanghai. Unfortunately, not enough free practice sessions – not the best time for us to have a Sprint weekend, but we’ll see what we can do. I’m sure it will be a much better one."
Bearman remains optimistic about improving his performance and gaining better results in the upcoming race in Shanghai.
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