Oliver Bearman has scored points for Haas once again during the Chinese Grand Prix. The 20-year-old driver finished fifth after a hectic opening lap, in which he managed to avoid a collision with Isack Hadjar. This makes him best of the rest behind the Mercedes and Ferraris. “We had to win the battle in the midfield and we did,” said Bearman.
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Oliver Bearman started tenth and finished fifth in Shanghai, which puts him fifth in the drivers’ championship now. During the first lap of the race, he was battling with Isack Hadjar and as a result, the 20-year-old Brit fell far back. However, the safety car came at a good time for him. “I am very happy with this result,” Bearman said in the paddock in China.
‘I froze’
The race started with difficulty for the Haas driver. Entering turn thirteen, Hadjar lost control of his Red Bull, forcing Bearman to react to avoid a collision. “That was really close. In that one moment, I just thought: ‘Wow’,” Bearman indicated.
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Bearman emphasizes that this turn was one of the most difficult during the race. “The wind changed all weekend. It felt like the turn was over and then you got abrupt oversteer. Hadjar was suddenly facing me and I froze a bit. I went off track and thought my race was over. Fortunately, there was no accident, but I did end up at the back because of it,” the Brit concluded.
‘We got lucky’
On lap ten, the safety car came onto the track, which gave Bearman an opportunity. “At the beginning, we weren’t lucky, but the safety car came at exactly the right moment. We cannot deny that we got lucky. We were able to take on the battle in the midfield. Alpine had a lot of speed, Pierre got very close at the end.” Although the young Brit is happy with fifth place, he also sees areas for improvement for the team. “We still have work to do, but this is a good result and we keep pushing to get better.” At the moment, Haas is fourth in the constructors’ championship.
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