Haas rookie Oliver Bearman's struggles persist at Australian GP Qualifying

Dominika Jordan
Mar 15, 2025, 06:05 AM ET

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Haas Rookie Oliver Bearman Faces Tough Start at Australian Grand Prix

Haas driver Oliver Bearman continued his challenging debut season in Formula 1 at the Australian Grand Prix on Saturday, as the 19-year-old British rookie failed to post a lap in qualifying, marking his second red-flag incident in two days of practice.

Limited Track Time Hampers Bearman’s Performance

Bearman, competing in his first Formula 1 season, has experienced limited track time at Albert Park. He crashed early in the first practice session on Friday, causing him to miss the second session as his team rushed to repair the car.

On Saturday, Bearman spun off the track during his first flying lap in the final practice session, landing in the gravel and requiring a crane to lift his car out. Shortly after qualifying began, Bearman reported a gearbox issue over the team radio and returned to the garage without posting a lap.

Bearman Reflects on a Challenging Weekend

"It's disappointing to not get a lap on the board but it's been a messy weekend so far," Bearman remarked. "As a team we've struggled a little bit and of course I haven't run all weekend, and that's made it tough for the team to understand as they've been only running one car, so I can only apologise to the team."

Struggles Extend to Teammate Esteban Ocon

Bearman's teammate, Esteban Ocon, successfully posted a lap but it was the slowest among the five drivers eliminated in the first session of qualifying. Ocon will start 19th on the grid.

Haas Team Principal Acknowledges Lack of Pace

Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu expressed surprise at the cars' lack of pace, particularly in high-speed corners.

"We didn't see that coming from Bahrain testing, but this is the reality currently and we need to find a solution as quickly as possible," Komatsu stated. "It's of course going to be helpful if it's raining because if it's dry, we simply don't have pace."