Bearman’s first lap Chinese GP fright: ‘I’m lucky to be standing here’

Oliver Bearman delivered a stunning recovery drive at the Chinese Grand Prix – a performance that, by his own admission, could so easily have ended in disaster just seconds after it began.

The young Haas driver concluded his day in Shanghai in an eye-catching fifth place, topping F1’s competitive mid-field and reinforcing once again his growing reputation.

But beneath the result lies a more unsettling truth: this was a race that nearly turned into a massive crash on the opening lap of the race.

A split-second from disaster

Amid the melee after the launch off the grid, Bearman found himself racing Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar. But as the pair entered Turn 13, the Frenchman was caught out by the gusty conditions, his car suddenly snapping out of control - leaving the Haas driver with little time to react.

“I was so lucky, to be honest, to avoid that,” he admitted. “I mean, I’m lucky to be standing here.

“Honestly, that would have been a monster shunt. It was a really tricky corner, that whole race, with the wind today. It was just all over the place, the car balance, I think, for everyone – well, I hope for everyone, because it was tough for me.

“And I saw with Isack, you know, we were pushing hard and, to be honest, it felt like the corner was done and the next thing I know, he’s sideways and then, I’m trying to avoid him in one tenth of a second.

“I went left, I had to go off track to avoid, and I ended up back in last again.”

In that instant, Bearman’s race – and potentially much more –hung in the balance. His evasive move into the run-off area spared both drivers from a high-speed collision, but it came at a heavy cost, dropping him to the back of the field.

A worrying trend… and a remarkable response

The near-miss also highlighted a troubling pattern for the Briton. For the second consecutive race, his progress was undone almost immediately after the start..

“So, both of my races this year, Australia and China, I’ve ended up pretty much last after lap one. But we’re getting there, and the race was fantastic after that.”

What followed, however, was nothing short of exceptional. Bearman carved his way back through the pack with composure and aggression, exploiting both pace and opportunity as others faltered.

“Yeah, I made some overtakes on track,” Bearman said. “You know, I was quicker than the RBs, and I was quicker than the Audi at that stage. That was strong, and the car felt great.

“Then, you know, we picked up a great safety car timing. But I think with the bad luck on lap one, that was kind of cancelled out by the great timing of the safety car.

“Pretty much, I was back where I started after all of that, you know, I was right behind Pierre, which is where I was halfway through lap one before all of the mess. So, you know, that was great.

“The pace was really strong after that. I was able to clear the traffic and then, honestly, I was doing like 40 quali laps, which was good fun.”

In the end, Bearman had survived a near-race-ending incident and produced one of the standout drives of the weekend – finishing behind only the frontrunning giants and firmly at the head of Formula 1’s fiercely competitive midfield.

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