The qualifying session in Melbourne saw mixed success for the rookies. Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar and Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto celebrated making it into Q2, while Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Red Bulls’ Liam Lawson‘s Q1 ended in disappointment. For Oliver Bearman, however, the qualifying session was one to forget entirely, as the newly minted Haas driver couldn’t even complete a fast lap.
The weekend in Australia started off less than ideal for Oliver Bearman on Friday, compared to his fellow debutants. The Haas driver had the dubious honour of causing the first crash during the initial free practice. A day later, during FP3, Bearman found himself against the wall with his Haas for the second time. The two crashes took their toll on the VF-25, as Bearman’s car refused to shift gears at the start of the qualifying session.
“Of course, it was a bit disappointing,” a visibly shaken Bearman told F1TV afterwards. “So far, it’s been a messy weekend. Tomorrow will therefore be an interesting day, and hopefully, we can quickly put everything behind us.” The FIA does have some good news for Bearman. The driver is allowed to participate in the race at the Albert Park Circuit, despite not being able to set a qualifying time.
Apologies to Haas
Bearman primarily blames himself for his problems during the Australian race weekend so far. “As a team, we’ve been struggling all weekend, and of course, I couldn’t get on the track during every free practice. That made it difficult for the guys in the garage to understand the car. I can only offer my apologies to the team for that,” concludes the Haas debutant.
