Oliver Bearman’s full-time debut in Australia was not particularly inspiring, as the Briton finished P14—last among all the runners. However, he made a stunning comeback in China this past weekend, finishing P8, thanks to the disqualifications of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
But Bearman earned his four points on merit. He pulled off some brilliant overtakes on the likes of Liam Lawson and Pierre Gasly—both with faster cars—and was understandably elated.
As such, after each move, Bearman “Ciao” to himself in celebration, unaware that his radio was on.
Upon learning from F1TV journalist Laura Winter about his remarks on the team radio, Bearman was embarrassed. The 19-year-old, who had hoped his comments would remain private, insisted that he was simply happy with his moves and had nothing against the drivers he had overtaken. “I feel really bad now,” Bearman explained.
“I overtook someone and I said, ‘Ciao‘,” he admitted.
However, 1996 champion Damon Hill believes that Bearman has nothing to apologize for and he can say whatever he wants. “You’re not bad. Say what you like,” Hill wrote on his Instagram stories as he reacted to the comments made by Bearman.
Damon Hill comes out in support of Oliver Bearman after Haas driver regrets commenting the radio pic.twitter.com/Y1TMhMhWMa
— Business F1 (@BusinessF158116) March 25, 2025
This was Bearman’s first points finish as a full-time F1 driver, but not the first time he had experienced scoring them at the pinnacle of motorsport. Last year, while filling in for Carlos Sainz at Ferrari, he finished P7 at the Saudi Arabian GP. He later acted as a replacement once again, this time for Kevin Magnussen in Baku, securing one point by finishing P10.
Still, scoring points as a full-time driver will always be more special for the talented Haas driver.
Bearman reflects on ‘shock’ Chinese GP result
Bearman didn’t expect to finish in the top 10 in Shanghai. He started from P17 on the grid at a track where overtaking is challenging due to tire degradation and dirty air. However, thanks to a well-executed strategy by Haas and Bearman’s impressive overtakes, he crossed the line in P10 before being promoted two places.
“We did a great job, good execution on everything,” Bearman told Sky Sports F1 after the race. “I was not expecting to do a one-stop; I was quite shocked when we pitted onto a medium, but the tires were lasting much better than they were yesterday, and we did a great job with the set-up changes“.
Considering that there was high tire wear, it was indeed a risky strategy for Bearman and Haas to opt for a one-stopper. Moreover, considering Leclerc and Gasly were disqualified due to their cars not meeting the 800kg weight requirements, Haas’ strategy could have easily backfired.
Both Bearman and his teammate Esteban Ocon put in strong performances. Ocon went even better, finishing P5 and securing 10 points.
Leaving on a Shang-high Our best points haul in one weekend since Austria 2022 #HaasF1 #F1 #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/Lii9qrCvq2
— MoneyGram Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) March 24, 2025
“I think this track definitely suits what we have,” Bearman added. “It’s the type of track that, on paper, is good for our car: Very smooth, not many bumps, and stuff like that, which — that’s what we’re looking for at the moment“.
Both Haas drivers will be hoping that their strong race pace continues as the season progresses. They had a good haul of points from China and will be looking to compete for points throughout the rest of the season.
