The Haas team reflects on a ‘fantastic’ race weekend in Bahrain. After fifty-seven thrilling laps, drivers Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman finished in eighth and tenth place respectively. A remarkable result, especially considering that just a few years ago, the American racing team could only dream of a double points finish. Haas currently occupies fifth place in the constructors’ championship.
Rookie Oliver Bearman, in particular, made a strong impression during the Bahrain GP. The young Brit drove an impressive comeback race – from the back of the grid, he fought his way into the top ten. After a challenging qualifying session, he redeemed himself at the start by immediately gaining five places. Admittedly, the timing of the safety car worked in his favor, but he also managed to fend off attacks from Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli and Williams veteran Alex Albon in the closing stages of the race.
Bearman ‘Proud’ of Bahrain GP Performance
“I feel really good,” a jubilant Bearman grinned after the race. “It was a fantastic race, it flew by. Those last twenty laps after the restart, I was under a lot of pressure to maintain my position. It was a tough race, but I’m so happy I was able to score a point for the team after that very poor qualifying yesterday.” The Brit admitted that the timing of the safety car worked in his favor, but he also wanted to emphasize that he had a lot of speed in the opening stages of the race.
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“Of course, we were lucky with the safety car, but I felt very strong in the first stint,” explained the Haas driver. “The second half was a bit more challenging on the hard tyres – I believe I was the only one on the hard compound. I just had to maintain my position, which is not so easy with a number of fast cars breathing down your neck. I’m very proud of my performance today.” The tenth place also marked the third points finish in four races for the young Brit.
Teammate Esteban Ocon also scored some valuable points in Bahrain – he crossed the finish line in eighth place. The Frenchman was visibly relieved with his finish, partly because he crashed in the qualifying round on Saturday. “I’m super happy for the team,” he declared. “Yesterday, I disappointed by making that mistake. There was much more potential in the car. Fortunately, everything went as planned today. We had a great start and thanks to an aggressive strategy, we were able to immediately compete for points.”
