F1 rookie causes SECOND red flag in Australian Grand Prix disaster

Oliver Bearman, Ollie Bearman, Haas, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

Australian Grand Prix Practice

F1 rookie causes SECOND red flag in Australian Grand Prix disaster

The Brit has had a nightmare weekend

Originally written by Chris Deeley. This version is a translation.

Saturday 15 March 2025 03:42

Ollie Bearman's nightmare Australian Grand Prix weekend continued on Saturday, as he attempted to recover from Friday's crash.

The Haas driver demolished his car in FP1 with a high speed crash, with his mechanics unable to repair the damage in time to get a single lap driven in FP2.

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Bearman was the first man out of the pits in FP3 on Saturday, but dipped a tyre all the way onto the grass on his first flying lap and spun out into the gravel, where his car became beached.

The British driver came in as one of the more accomplished drivers of the so-called rookie class, having looked mature beyond his years in his appearances for Ferrari and Haas last year.

Bearman raced three times in F1 last season

Pre-season testing saw Bearman get a lot of long runs in Bahrain

Bearman nightmare continues

The Brit should get some more running in FP3 after his car gets towed back to the pit lane and cleaned off, but his first weekend as a full time driver could barely have started worse.

The only other driver to risk a session-ending crash this weekend was Bearman's countryman George Russell, who touched the grass at the end of FP1 and was only saved from a spectacular crash by a large run-off area.

Bearman's Haas team-mate Esteban Ocon struggled mightily on Friday, with the team looking like they may be at the back of the field as the season starts.

Ferrari McLaren Haas Australian Grand Prix Ollie Bearman