Ollie Bearman expressed frustration after finishing 11th at the F1 Canadian GP. The Haas driver missed the points by one position as his team celebrated their milestone 200th Formula 1 race.
The British driver struggled with traffic throughout the race. He was unable to capitalize on what he believed was a competitive car.
Starting from 13th on the grid after Yuki Tsunoda’s penalty promoted him from his qualifying position of 14th, ahead of teammate Esteban Ocon, Bearman couldn’t make significant progress. Ultimately the hard-medium strategy was the better player, with the Brit on the medium-hard one as Haas split their cars.
His teammate secured 9th place, giving the team something to celebrate.
“Yeah, annoying. Certainly annoying,” Bearman reflected after the race in the print media pen. The young driver’s disappointment was clear as he described his afternoon.
Strategic questions
Bearman suggested the team would analyze their approach after the race. “Strategy-wise, we’ll have to look,” he admitted when reflecting on the afternoon.
The Formula 1 driver believes different tactical decisions could have changed his outcome. His frustration was evident as he described being “just a bit stuck.”
Traffic struggles define the race
“I just spent the whole race stuck behind someone’s rear wing,” Bearman explained post-race. The British driver found himself trapped in multiple DRS trains, both before and after his stop.
“It was always a different car, [but] I managed to make some overtakes,” the Haas driver continued. However, clean air remained difficult to find throughout the 70-lap race.
The Canadian GP proved unforgiving for wheel-to-wheel racing. Bearman described how “when the deg is so low on a track like this, it’s really difficult.“
Bittersweet milestone
Despite the P11 finish, Ollie Bearman felt confident about the car’s underlying pace. He believed both Haas cars had points-scoring speed.
“I think we had a good race,” Bearman reflected, looking beyond the disappointing result. The 200th Formula 1 race celebration became bittersweet for him personally.
While pleased for his teammate’s success, he knew points were within reach. “It’s a shame that we didn’t have both cars in the points,” the Haas driver concluded.
He acknowledged both entries were “certainly quick enough” for scoring positions. The milestone weekend highlighted both promise and frustration for the young talent.
