Haas’ 2025 driver, Ollie Bearman, had the opportunity to gain more F1 experience in Baku, marking his second appearance this season. He stepped in for Kevin Magnussen, who is serving a one-race ban this weekend. Having been aware of this chance well in advance, Bearman had ample time to prepare. Unfortunately, his preparation was marred by a shunt into the barriers during FP3.
Bearman was navigating the long main straight on the Baku Street Circuit when he overestimated the braking distance. He applied the brakes too late for the tight 90-degree first corner. Realizing he wouldn’t make the turn, he attempted to steer into the runoff area. Unfortunately, he was too late, and his car made contact with the barriers, resulting in some damage.
After the incident, the new Haas man was heard calling himself “an idiot”. He was asked if he was okay but the first thing he said was, “I’m such an idiot.” After confessing the car’s sustained some damage, he said, “Yeah, I couldn’t turn at the right time. Oh, I’m so sorry.”
Full footage of Oliver Bearman’s crash in FP3!#F1 #Formula1 #AzerbaijanGP pic.twitter.com/wv1dUuByOT
— Extreme Cars (@extremecars__) September 14, 2024
For Bearman, it was a heartbreaking moment. He aimed to showcase his talent before stepping in as a full-time driver next year and hoped to relive the highs of his F1 debut in Jeddah earlier this year, where he replaced Carlos Sainz at Ferrari and finished P7.
What’s surprising is that Bearman had previously filled in for Sainz with minimal practice. This time, however, he had a whole week and two practice sessions to prepare. This likely contributed to his disappointment in his performance.
However, this incident is unlikely to affect his future. Bearman has been entrusted with a Haas seat for next season after impressing with Ferrari in Saudi Arabia, and the Baku incident may serve as a valuable learning experience for the 19-year-old.
