Oliver Bearman admitted that his first Formula 1 Grand Prix wasn’t an easy one as he had to push flat out almost every lap, and it was “physically challenging”.
Bearman had to step in on Friday for the FP3 session as Carlos Sainz was diagnosed with appendicitis and needed surgery, therefore not being able to race. The Britton had little to no time to adapt ahead of qualifying and the race.
However, he did a great job on Friday as he qualified P11, just a few tenths off from Q3. He completed an amazing weekend on Sunday, where he managed to score his first points in F1, finishing P7.
After the race, Bearman admitted that the race was very demanding physically, but it was a pleasure to share the track with drivers he used to watch on TV.
“It was really physical. In a race like this – one of the lowest-degradation tracks of the season and one of the highest lateral G – you are pretty much doing 50 qualifying laps.
“I grew up watching these guys fighting, and it was nice to share the track with them,” Bearman said. “It was a pleasure to have their recognition.
“[Lewis] was basically pulling me out of the car because I was struggling.”
Bearman managed to stay calm and composed all the way through the race, especially in the first part, where dealing with traffic was not an easy task.
He also fought with Yuki Tsunoda and Nico Hulkenberg, battles that proved to be tricky for him due to his inexperience. However, he said that he learned a lot.
“No matter what, I tried to stay calm, especially in a situation like this. We knew the race was going to come towards us, so I stayed calm and let it come.
“On the restart, I did a pretty good move on [Tsunoda] and I don’t think he expected me to cover the inside.
“I had a lot more pace than these guys, and they were just a bit smarter than me with energy usage, which is something I’ve never had to do before.
“I was pretty much learning on the job. Especially with Nico, he seemed to use his battery in all the right places and I seemed to use it in all the wrong places, so it took me a few laps to figure it out.
“I stayed disciplined and didn’t try to overpush.”