Oliver Bearman will make changes after learning in rookie F1 season, as he expands on first year in a midfield team as opposed to big team.
Having had handful of runs in 2024, Haas’ Bearman had his full go in F1 2025. Apart from getting up to speed on track run, the Brit had plenty of things to learn off it too. One of the biggest challenges was getting through the calendar of 24 races as opposed to eight he did in F2.
With the year done, one of the changes that he will certainly make is on the traveling side. “No, I mean, a lot has changed in 12 months, finishing my first full season in Formula 1,” said Bearman to media. “It’s been a long one and a challenging one. I think, especially, we’re all doing it, right? We’re all doing 24 races, but I think for the rookies who have never done it before, there’s a lot of things.
“For example, even on my travel planning that I would change for next year and you would only know having done it. So, I think keeping your energy levels high for the entire season is a challenge. There’s a lot of things and little things you can change to help that. So, I’ve learned that and, of course, the on-track stuff I talk about every weekend.
“So, I don’t need to keep telling you about that,” summed up Bearman, who was asked about the nuances then. There’s still a lot to understand for the youngster and a lot more to extract. One thing he has realised is the difference between racing for a midfield team as opposed to a big manufacturer. He is part of the Ferrari academy and has gone through race weekends with them as well.
There are pros and cons to both, but he feels with a midfield F1 team, it is a lot more learning where one has to do things to know, rather than being told to do things in big teams. It is a challenge to be part of a smaller outfit, but more rewarding in the long-term as one knows every aspect of being part.
“I don’t have it, I still don’t have it, I mean, I’m just a F1 rookie,” continued Bearman. “I’m learning as we go. I’m getting more comfortable every weekend and achieving a better result, extracting more from myself and using my talent more. But it still throws new challenges at me every weekend and forces me to think on my toes. So, yeah, it’s tough.
“Also, with a team like Haas, as a driver you end up making a lot of decisions yourself. Whereas in bigger teams I have the feeling that you’re guided through the processes a bit more. So, I think in my situation there’s a bit more to learn. Just because we’re a young team and we’re still learning things ourselves. Whereas if I was with a bigger team, I think a lot of those things you get told almost.
“So, that’s also, in my opinion, it’s a good thing. It probably means…it’s more challenging at first. But I think in the long run that’s going to help me out,” summed up Bearman, who ended up a respectable 13th in the drivers’ standings with 41 points against his name and crucially he beat his experienced teammate Esteban Ocon by three points.
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