Haas team boss Günther Steiner told rookie Oliver Bearman before his training debut not to damage anything.
Ferrari junior Oliver Bearman will make his first official appearance on a Formula 1 weekend in Mexico on Friday and take part in the first free practice session for Haas. The Brit will be one of five rookies who can replace a regular driver in the first session.
Team boss Günther Steiner hopes for one thing above all: that Bearman doesn’t break the car. That’s what happened to Antonio Giovinazzi in Austin last year when he was allowed to complete his first training session at the Circuit of the Americas for Haas.
“You’re always a little nervous,” says Steiner before the rookie’s first outing. “But he knows that the biggest mistake he can make is to overdo it.”
Haas team boss Steiner warns rookie Bearman of an accident
Steiner made it explicitly clear to the youngster that you will always be judged by the things you do badly – not by the things that are good.
“If you do everything right, no one will remember it. But if you crash your first time driving a Formula 1 car in FT1, it will be on your CV for the rest of your life – if that’s why you do it at all ever make it into Formula 1,” said the South Tyrolean.
But Steiner is convinced that Bearman knows how the sport works. “I think he’s smart enough to know that he doesn’t do anything stupid.” Therefore, Steiner simply expects the sixth in Formula 2 to learn as much as possible and not make any mistakes. “I don’t think there’s too much pressure on him at the moment,” he says. “I think he’s in a good position.”
Bearman has already been able to prepare for his mission and has already completed a test in a Formula 1 car: In Fiorano a few days ago he was allowed to sit behind the wheel of a Ferrari SF21.
Haas rookie Bearman: There’s nothing to win
The 18-year-old says that Steiner’s message has reached him: “Of course, as Günther said, there is nothing to be won on a Friday,” he says. “I just have to get the car back safely.”
“But at the same time I’m excited to get started, it’s going to be a lot of fun,” Bearman said. “I’ve already driven a Formula 1 car in Fiorano, so I got a taste of what it’s like to go full throttle. This will be just another step and hopefully also provide some useful data for the team.”
When asked about Ferrari’s goals for his campaign, he waves it off: “There are no goals from anyone, not even from myself. I think it would be stupid to have any expectations. My first goal is to just do it to enjoy, really.”
“As we said, this has been drilled into me a lot now. There’s nothing to win. I just have to do a solid job, improve step by step and enjoy it. So that’s my goal.”
Haas rookie Bearman: Test in Fiorano as good preparation
The test in Fiorano was also useful for him from another perspective: it allowed him to get used to the buttons on the steering wheel, which are completely different to those in Formula 2. Although the Haas is a different car than the Ferrari, the settings are quite similar, which helps it.
However, he will no longer be the only car on the track in Mexico, which will be a new situation for him.
“I think the most complicated part for me will be the route development. It’s very dusty here at the start and the grip level is low due to the altitude,” Bearman continued. “The biggest difficulty will be getting to grips with it and understanding what the car needs.”
“The main goal of this weekend is to get to know people and show them what I can do. And come across as a good guy. And yes, it helps that I’m young, I have plenty of time to make it here.”