Oliver Bearman keeps shining for Haas in Jeddah, while Esteban Ocon struggles again as Alpine’s early-season woes continue to mount.
Rookie sensation Oliver Bearman once again turned heads in Jeddah, as he made it through to Q2 in Saudi Arabian Grand Prix qualifying—beating Alpine’s Esteban Ocon in the process. While the young Brit continues to impress in his stand-in role at Haas, he admitted the session wasn’t without its challenges.
“Honestly, I don’t think Q3 was on the table today,” Bearman said after qualifying. “I was happy with my Q1 lap—it felt good. But Q2 was trickier. The car felt great on used tires, but once we switched to new softs, it was hard to get them into the right operating window. That cost me time, and I couldn’t improve.”
Despite the setback, Bearman remains optimistic heading into race day.
“It’s tough to predict how the race will go,” he explained. “Yesterday was a bit chaotic with red flags, and tire degradation seems higher than last year. But our race pace has been solid so far this season, so hopefully we can make up ground and have a strong result.”
While Bearman moves forward with momentum, Esteban Ocon finds himself on the back foot. The Frenchman was knocked out in Q1, setting only the 19th fastest time, and continues to search for answers amid a rocky start to the season.
“It was a tough session. Honestly, we’ve been struggling all weekend,” Ocon told Canal+. “We need to work closely with the team to figure things out. It’s been inconsistent from the start of the year—some days it clicks, some days it doesn’t. But I believe we’ll unlock more performance soon.”
Ocon also gave credit to Bearman for his impressive drive: “He did a great job getting into Q2. It’s been a solid weekend for him, and I hope he can fight for points. For us, it’ll be tough to come back, especially since tire wear isn’t as high as Bahrain—but we’ll give it everything we’ve got. We need to make the most of the race.”
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Bearman Impresses in Jeddah as Ocon Fades in Q1 Exit
Bearman Impresses in Jeddah as Ocon Fades in Q1 Exit
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