Ollie Bearman’s 2025 Imola Grand Prix may not have lit up the results sheet, but the young Brit left the track feeling far more optimistic than the final classification suggested.
What appeared on paper to be a disappointing, anonymous run at the back was, in reality, a race of promise undone by misfortune — and the Haas driver wants that narrative corrected.
“Everyone thinks I had a s*** race – but actually it was going pretty well,” Bearman contested in the media pen.
The Haas driver had shown strong pace in free practice and looked a genuine threat for a top-10 grid spot. But his weekend was hamstrung early by a controversial deleted lap in Q1. A call Bearman made clear he still disagreed with come Sunday night.
“The qualifying was the craziest thing that’s happened to me in probably my entire career,” Bearman said. “It’s really a mess how this was handled.”
As a result, Bearman and his Haas VF25 lined up at the back of the grid for Sunday’s Imola GP. Still, Bearman got off to a solid start and looked set to rise through the order. Particularly as Haas opted to start him on the medium compound tyre, the preferred strategy for the day in Imola.
Where it went wrong for Bearman
But disaster struck almost immediately.
“I just had to pit off my medium after one lap because the wheel wasn’t attached,” he revealed.
Forced into the pits for a second time just a few laps later due to a further issue, Bearman’s race was effectively over before it began. Yet, despite being a lap down, he delivered one of the most impressive stints of the afternoon.
“I came out of the pits behind [George] Russell, he was P7. I was quicker than [Yuki] Tsunoda and we were on the same strategy and he was in the points,” Bearman explained.
“So we were on for a good result. Unfortunately there was an issue in the pitstop which meant I had to do another one, and that’s not the fastest way.”
It was during the stint between the VSC and the full Safety Car, that Bearman’s pace truly stood out.
“I came out a lap down but in the mix with the guys who were fighting for the podium and gauging against them I had decent pace and the car felt really, really good,” he said.
“Honestly, that stint, even though I was a lap down and on my own and not fighting for anything, I was still trying to push the limits of my car and feel it, and the car felt really good and predictable.
“So I was happy with that.”
Bearman and Haas hope for better luck
Indeed, his times were comparable to none other than race winner Max Verstappen and the two McLaren drivers. The long run pace if Bearman suggested a potential points finish had everything gone to plan. This would have given Haas a much-needed silver lining after a Imola GP marred by operational missteps.
The Imola GP itself was a chaotic mix of strategic gambles and tyre degradation battles.
Bearman, meanwhile, had to settle for obscurity on the timing screens of the Imola GP. But beneath that result is a story of promise and potential. With the upgraded Haas showing signs of genuine performance at Imola and Bearman continuing to impress during his F1 outings, the frustration is understandable. But so too is the optimism.
“Hopefully, we’ve used up all our bad luck this weekend,” Bearman said.
If Imola was the worst-case scenario, the paddock may want to keep an eye on Bearman when luck finally swings his way.
