Oliver Bearman explains massive Australian GP FP1 crash
The new Haas signing lost a significant amount of track time after shunting his Haas on Friday
Oliver Bearman feels he “wanted a bit too much, too soon” after crashing his Haas Formula 1 car heavily in opening practice for the Australian Grand Prix.
With about 20 minutes remaining in FP1, full-season rookie Bearman lost control of his car going into Turn 10, running wide over the gravel trap before slamming heavily into the wall.
The 19-year-old was able to get out of the Haas unaided, but the debris thrown around the track prompted a red flag.
Speaking afterwards, Bearman explained that it was ultimately a small mistake that led to a major crash, and faulted his own approach towards practice running for the damage he caused.
“A bit sad to have missed all the running today,” he told F1’s official site. “The guys did a great job to try to get the car back out, we just ran out of time.
“I just had a small mistake at Turn 10, which put me a bit wide and out there it is very very bumpy. Unfortunately, I lost the car.
In his Friday media session, he added: “The feeling was good. I think [it was] just [down to] wanting a bit too much, too soon – which is kind of my approach, which isn't really the right one for F1.
“In F2, you go straight to quali after the first practice session, and in F1, you have two more, so there's no need to be straight on the limit. Maybe I overdid it slightly, but it's totally on me.
“Just a bit too much steering lock over the compression at the apex of 10, which sent me wide, and it's quite bumpy out there. I just lost it.
“Once you're in the gravel, it's so bumpy, and there is asphalt, grass, bumps and I was already out of it, but once you're there, honestly, there is no more control, unfortunately.”
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The damage incurred to the car was so significant that Haas couldn’t repair it in time to allow Bearman to rack up some crucial miles in FP2.
While the Briton was seen wearing his race suit and helmet in the garage with just a few minutes left on the clock, his team simply ran out of time to send him back out on track.
However, Bearman is not willing to write off the weekend just yet, especially with rain being forecast on Sunday.
“For sure it’s not over,” he said. “I struggled a little bit but I really felt confident in the car - maybe too much.
“I really felt at home and nice in the car. I was building up really nicely and the mistake was unfortunate.
“By no means over. FP3 is a long session, then qualifying. The race will be a bit of a roll of the dice, it looks like at the moment.”
