Rookie Oliver Bearman has reflected on a challenging first day of the F1 Australian GP, after crashing out during practice.
With just under 20 minutes left of session, the British driver pushed too hard and lost control of his Haas between turns 9 and 10.
The car hit the barriers hard, sending the Haas careering across the track, the circuit covered in the VF-25, bringing out the red flag.
Such was the damage to the car, Bearman was forced to sit out the second session, putting him at a major disadvantage for the race.
Speaking after the session, Bearman admitted that he wanted ” a bit too much too soon”, and pushed his VF-25 too far.
“The feeling was good. I think just wanting a bit too much, too soon – which is kind of my approach, which isn’t really the right one for F1″.
Bearman admitted his error, and revealed too much steering lock out of a corner caused the crash.
“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,” he said.
Oliver Bearman uninjured, but at a disadvantage
When asked if he suffered injuries during the heavy impact, Bearman confirmed he was unscathed, and said he “owed them a few beers”.
“Yes, fine, it was a small hit, just not great for the car. So, yeah, my apologies to the team.
“It would have been nice just to do an install and check everything, make sure everything was OK for tomorrow.
“The guys did an amazing job, both sides of the garage helping me out to try and get me back on track. I can only apologise to them, and I owe them a few beers on Sunday.
“They’ve had a busy few weeks starting out with everything, building up the second car now, and to have the damage so early on and to put them back to work and give them a long evening is not really good enough. So, yeah, I can only apologise to them.”
Feature Image Credit: @F1 on X
