Oliver Bearman Faces Challenges in Australian Grand Prix Season Opener

Haas rookie driver Oliver Bearman has had a challenging start to the 2025 Formula 1 season. After showcasing impressive performances during three races in 2024 while serving as a reserve driver for both Ferrari and Haas, Bearman secured a full-time seat at Haas for the current season.

Unfortunately, Bearman’s rookie campaign has begun on a tough note. He suffered a significant crash during Friday’s first practice session, damaging his VF-25 and preventing him from participating in FP2. As a result, it was no surprise that when the green light signaled the start of FP3, Bearman was eager to make up for lost time and was the first driver to hit the track.

Just minutes into FP3, Bearman found himself back in the gravel, ending his session prematurely.

Here’s a look at Bearman’s crash from FP1 on Friday:

In the team’s post-practice report, Bearman expressed his disappointment: “I’m sad to have missed all that running today. The team did a great job to try and get the car back out, but we just ran out of time. I made a small mistake in turn 10 which put me a bit wide, and out there it’s very bumpy and unfortunately I lost it.”

Bearman added, “I struggled a little bit, but I felt confident, maybe too much – but I felt at home and was building up nicely. FP3 is a long session and then into qualifying, the race will be a bit of a roll of the dice currently.”

Here’s a glimpse of Bearman’s spin at Turn 11 during FP3, which cut his “long session” short:

This situation sets up a challenging qualifying session for Bearman later today in Melbourne, as he enters Q1 with limited laps around Albert Park this week. With rain potentially on the horizon for Sunday, the weekend may become even more difficult for one of F1’s promising rookies.