Oliver Bearman finished qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix in 11th position, just missing out on Q3 by 13 thousandths of a second. Unlike his teammate Esteban Ocon, Bearman managed to reach Q2, performing strongly on a circuit that doesn’t particularly suit the Haas car. While he is pleased with the result, he admitted that “being this close hurts more than being far off.”
Tomorrow, he will start from 11th on the grid and has a solid chance to score points. Clear communication and correct strategic choices, like those seen at the Dutch GP, could provide a genuine opportunity.
Ollie Bearman reflects on qualifying
“On one hand, I’m happy because we had a good qualifying. I think we really pushed the car to its limits. Thirteen thousandths, or whatever it was, is nothing,” the British driver stated. “Being on the door of Q3 after the weekend we’ve had is really a good result. I’m happy I managed to extract a lot of lap time from the car. And I felt the car really well under me during qualifying.”
The Haas rookie added, “I know it’s disappointing. Being this close hurts more than being far away.”
“But we can be proud because I think we had a good qualifying. And in some areas, if I had focused more on the straights, maybe I could have reached Q3.”
Looking ahead to the race
When asked what he could do better compared to the Zandvoort race, especially given his closer proximity to the points this weekend, Ollie Bearman said: “Maybe win the race, I guess. We’ll see what happens. I’ll aim to have a clean race.”
“I’m happy with the race we had at Zandvoort. We were very lucky. But we also had really good, clear communication and made the right decisions. That’s easier said than done, even when following an opposite strategy. So I think if we continue like this and maintain a good pace, tomorrow we could have a chance,” the 20-year-old explained.
Expectations for the rest of the season
Finally, Ollie Bearman was asked what can be expected from Haas for the remaining races. The team performed well in the Netherlands and seems competitive this weekend. Will the rest of the year continue positively?
“Honestly, that’s never been in doubt. This track is a bit weaker for us because of the very long straights and the emphasis on speed. This hasn’t really been our strength this year, and it’s the same this weekend,” he stated.
“So, finishing P11 with the current limitations is a good result, and I’m looking forward to some of the other tracks,” Ollie Bearman concluded.
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