Oliver Bearman admits his joyful radio message in China may have seemed disrespectful after bold moves on Alpine and Red Bull.
Haas F1 rookie Oliver Bearman had a moment of pure joy during the Chinese Grand Prix — but now he wishes he’d toned it down a bit.
The young Brit overtook both an Alpine and a Red Bull during the race and couldn’t help but let out a cheerful “Ciao!” over team radio. It was spontaneous, it was passionate — but looking back, Bearman admits it might’ve come across the wrong way.
“It was totally in the moment,” Bearman said. “I feel bad now because I didn’t mean to be disrespectful. I was just excited and wanted to share that with the team — but I wouldn’t do it again.”
Bearman Clears Air After ‘Ciao’
Bearman explained that pulling off overtakes in Formula 1 — especially with Haas’ current straight-line speed challenges — takes planning, patience, and precision.
“You’ve got to think ahead. You spend two or three laps setting it up, charging the battery, waiting for the right moment,” he said. “The moves I pulled were both into corners, which always feels great. But again, I wasn’t trying to be rude.”
The 18-year-old also took issue with how Formula One Management (FOM) broadcast the clip. It aired right after he passed Carlos Sainz, making it seem like the comment was aimed at the Ferrari driver.
“I feel really, really bad about how it came across. It wasn’t directed at Carlos at all — they kind of set me up,” Bearman said. “I actually said it after passing Lawson and the Alpine. That was just one of those fun racing moves — going around the outside, they braked late, I got them on the exit. It was just a great moment for me.”
“I just want to clear that up. It wasn’t aimed at Sainz. But yeah, I had a blast out there, felt confident on the brakes. I did lock up once trying to pass Stroll, but I learned from it and really enjoyed the race after that.”
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Haas Rookie Bearman Feels Bad Over F1 Radio Shout
Haas Rookie Bearman Feels Bad Over F1 Radio Shout
