‘Too many mistakes, too many time losses’ – Bearman gives brutal verdict on his Sao Paulo super-sub performance for Haas

Haas super-sub Ollie Bearman didn’t know he would be partaking in the Sao Paulo race weekend until Friday morning, but went on to tackle his most challenging Formula 1 outing yet – and revealing that he learned plenty of valuable lessons in the process.

The Briton – who is set to drive for Haas full-time next season – replaced the unwell Kevin Magnussen for Friday’s running, but ended up taking his place for the whole round when the Dane's condition failed to improve.

FACTS AND STATS: Verstappen breaks Schumacher record for longest stint as championship leader

Bearman had never raced at Interlagos before or in such adverse weather conditions at this level, so faced a number of difficulties during the Grand Prix.

Despite Haas’s strong pace over recent races, he was knocked out in the first stage of a rain-affected qualifying, going on to start the race from P15 after Max Verstappen’s grid penalty was applied.

With further heavy rainfall causing the track surface to become especially slippery, the 19-year-old got caught out on a number of occasions, tangling with Zhou Guanyu and Franco Colapinto and skidding off track. For his collision with the Williams, he was dealt a 10-second time penalty.

“It was a tough race,” he summarised. “Too many mistakes from my side and that really compromised our race. I think on one side, we finished P12 quite close to the points, despite the amount of mistakes I made.

HIGHLIGHTS: Watch the action as Verstappen stages remarkable comeback in Sao Paulo while Alpine claim double podium

“On the other side, too many mistakes, too many time losses and stuff like that. It was a really tough day. I learnt a lot, that’s for sure, for the next time.”

Bearman will partner Sao Paulo Grand Prix podium finisher Esteban Ocon at the American team in 2025, but has already contested three Grands Prix this year – one for Ferrari in Saudi Arabia, and two for Haas in Azerbaijan and Brazil.

READ MORE: ‘We never gave up and here we are’ – Alpine pair overjoyed by unexpected double podium in Brazil

He suffered due to numerous self-inflicted errors around the tricky Sao Paulo track, but the youngster nevertheless appeared keen to focus on the lessons learned and take them into next season.

He said: “First of all I learned the track, which I wasn’t going to be able to do before next year. Then of course racing in these conditions under the water – it’s quite rare that you get to do so.

“Every lap in the wet is really valuable and I managed to do a lot today, so I’m quite happy with that.”