Bearman Struggles in Saudi GP Practice, More Work Ahead

Bearman faces tough challenges in Saudi Arabia, with Haas F1’s rookie driver hoping for improvements before qualifying this weekend.

Haas F1 faces a lot of work heading into qualifying at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

After the first day of free practice, the team’s situation seems more complicated than it was in Bahrain. Ollie Bearman ended the day in 16th place and admitted that it was tough for him to find his rhythm.

“The first free practice session was difficult,” said Bearman. “I faced similar issues to those I had in Bahrain: I just didn’t have enough confidence with the brakes and I locked up a few times.”

“For the second session, we made some adjustments to the brakes, returning to a configuration that worked well during a previous race. It was definitely better in the afternoon. However, we struggled a bit during the performance runs in the second session, especially with the soft tire switch.”

“We’ve still got work to do. It’s hard to say exactly where we stand right now because it’s so close, but I think if we make the right adjustments, we can be competitive. We just need to fine-tune a few details.”

Esteban Ocon, who finished 19th, was the last on the timing sheets—though Gabriel Bortoleto did not run—remains hopeful that improvements will come ahead of qualifying. “It was obviously a very busy day with a lot of work to do, and there are many things we need to review,” he said.

“It wasn’t the easiest day, but as always on Fridays, we gather data and try to improve. The most important thing is tomorrow, with qualifying.”

“We’ll do everything we can to be at our best on Saturday, and hopefully, we’ll have a bit more pace. It’s always hard to predict where we’ll be. This is a tough track, and you need to be confident in every corner. You have to be in tune with the car. That’s what we’ll focus on tonight.”

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Bearman Struggles in Saudi GP Practice, More Work Ahead Bearman Struggles in Saudi GP Practice, More Work Ahead