Doohan was quick to blame his team for his elimination in the first part of sprint qualifying, as he ran out of time to complete a second flying lap after delays in the pitlane. He somewhat made amends for the mishap by outqualifying his teammate Gasly for the first time this season in main qualifying, but followed that up with a first corner collision with Lawson, which resulted in a puncture and subsequent retirement. That makes the second time that Doohan has retired on the opening lap of a Grand Prix this year, not ideal when your Formula 1 seat is on the line.
While Bearman finished the sprint race in a formidable ninth place, he was demoted to 14th after receiving a five-second penalty for an unsafe release in the pits during the short race. Later on the same day, the British rookie qualified his Haas car in last place. He seemed to struggle around the temporary street circuit, as he had lined up at the foot of the field for the sprint too. The Grand Prix itself was a quiet one for the Briton, until his power unit gave up in spectacular fashion on the 28th tour.
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