Ollie Bearman had a disappointing Hungarian GP, where he was forced to retire from the race on Lap 48.
The weekend was looking hopeful for the young Brit. Qualifying P11, it looked like he was in a good position to fight for points during the race.
A good start saw him sitting in P10 after a pass on Hadjar, with a points-scoring position possible from there.
But as the race progressed, Bearman waa struggling for pace. He found himself slipping through the pack and out of the points.
In the end, on Lap 48, he was forced to retire the car and end his first F1 Hungarian GP.
Problems during the race
At the time, it was unclear as to why Bearman became the only DNF of the race.
Speaking in the print media pen afterwards, it appeared that he was also unsure what had caused the issue. Whatever it was, Bearman was certain that it had a huge effect on his race, stating that he felt like he was “clinging on for dear life” to his P10 position from early on as Lawson and co. pulled away in front.
“We picked up some damage, and I’m not sure where it came from yet. We need to have a look. But it was a big loss.
“Gradually, I was just dropping and dropping and dropping. I had a good first lap. The first stint, I was net P10, but really clinging on for dear life. I was looking in my mirrors every straight.
“I just had zero confidence in the car., I couldn’t really attack and was kind of just surviving and hanging on.
“At the end, it was clear that we weren’t going to be able to finish the race.”
Confirmed floor damage
After the race, Komatsu, Haas Team Principal, spoke about the issues Bearman faced.
He confirmed that there was damage to the floor of Bearman’s car, which he had picked up during the race.
“I’m pretty sure Ollie’s car was overbalanced. There’s no way that degradation from Ollie was the limit of the car or driver.
“We retired Ollie as he damaged the floor at Turn 4 again. It’s the third time this weekend, so we need to look at that also.”
