Rising British Formula One star Ollie Bearman endured a frustrating setback on the final day of pre-season testing in Bahrain on Friday.
Bearman, 19, rose to fame during the 2024 season when he made his F1 debut for Ferrari in Saudi Arabia. He later filled in for Haas’ Kevin Magnussen in Azerbaijan and Sao Paulo.
Bearman subsequently signed for Haas ahead of 2025 where he was joined by former Alpine driver Esteban Ocon.
The 19-year-old has been busy preparing for the new campaign, with all teams and drivers taking part in pre-season testing across the past three days ahead of the season-opening Grand Prix in Australia on March 16.
However, Bearman, who became the youngest British F1 driver in history and third youngest of all-time when he debuted last year, saw his final day interrupted.
As he was heading out for his eighth lap of the morning, Bearman was forced to abort his plans after the left-side of his car’s engine cover appeared to fly off.
Ollie Bearman endured a frustrating setback on the final day of pre-season testing in Bahrain
As Bearman headed out for an eighth lap, the left-side of his engine cover appeared to fly off
The freak issue saw the debris of Bearman’s car left strewn across the pit lane in Bahrain
This scattered debris across the pit lane, with stewards forced to intervene and deal with the issue.
Bearman subsequently slowly headed back to the pits as his Haas team formed a shield around the car to avoid the issue being exposed to the cameras.
However, after the problem was resolved, Bearman was free to go back out onto the track and the Brit posted the 10th fastest time in the morning session.
Nevertheless, this is the second challenge Haas have faced in pre-season, with Ocon suffering a similar issue to Bearman during some tests at Silverstone recently, albeit it wasn’t as serious.
Meanwhile, speaking ahead of the campaign getting underway, Bearman, who is the fourth British driver on the grid, opened up on his expectations.
‘I would still consider myself a rookie,’ he told the official F1 site. ‘I think I’m not officially a rookie, but I think that’s a bit harsh.
‘There are certainly some rookies with more mileage in F1 than me who are still official rookies, so I think it’s harsh to not call me a rookie.
‘I still feel like a rookie. There are still tracks that I haven’t been to, and I still haven’t done a full season in F1, which in my mind makes me a rookie. But I am very lucky to have done three races and a lot of mileage behind the scenes.’
Stewards were forced to intervene and clear up the debris during the morning session
As Bearman returned to the pit lane, Haas’ team formed a shield around the damaged car
Bearman continued: ‘I mean, the only uncertainty is how the car is going to perform. I’m quite certain that I feel confident heading into [the first race] of what I can do, how comfortable I am in F1 at this stage.
‘I’ve had a good amount of mileage for a rookie, lots of TPC (Testing of Previous Cars) but also lots of race weekends as well, which are very different.
‘Race weekends are unique and a different type of pressure to running on track by yourself in TPC, so to get that experience has been really invaluable.
‘Now I’m just excited to get 24 of them, build up, gain experience and really be able to build from it.
‘At least I know exactly what my calendar’s going to look like this year!’
