Spa-Francorchamps is always one for the brave, and Ollie Bearman’s first Belgian Grand Prix in F1 proved no exception. As the third Sprint event of the season, Belgium threw everything at the grid: a single practice session, rapidly changing weather and a borderline washout of a Sunday afternoon that tested patience and precision in equal measure.
Practice
With just one hour of practice on Friday, Ollie made every lap count, clocking up 22 laps in total and hitting P6 around 20 minutes into the session. That early run gave the team crucial data to work with, setting the tone for a confident start to the weekend.
Sprint Qualifying
Friday’s Sprint Qualifying was all about strategy and determination. In SQ1, Ollie pushed through to P14 with just seconds of the session to spare, advancing to the second round. There, a smart decision to wait before heading out on track paid off - he slotted his car confidently into the top ten and made it to SQ3. Working with his teammate for a final push, Ollie built up his pace and ended SQ3 in P7.
Sprint Race
Saturday’s 100km dash brought some sun to Spa as the track temperature reached 31℃. Starting in P7, Ollie delivered a mature and measured drive, holding his ground throughout the race.
A tense battle with Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar kept things interesting, but Ollie remained calm under pressure to cross the line in P7, scoring two valuable championship points. With limited overtaking and track position proving crucial, maintaining position was no small feat.
Grand Prix Qualifying
Later on Saturday, the team made a bold call to adjust Ollie’s downforce setup. He looked strong heading into Q1, placing P5 in the session and outperforming his teammate. A brief slide at Pouhon in Q2 cost him some time, but he kept the car under control and qualified just outside of the top ten in P12 for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
The Race
Torrential rain delayed the start to Sunday’s race by almost an hour and a half, with an initial formation lap taking place behind the Safety Car, before visibility and track conditions were rendered too poor for the race to start.
Eventually, the cars took to the track behind the Safety Car once again. This time, it was for four laps, with the Safety Car ending and the race officially getting underway with a rolling start.
Ollie started on intermediate tyres and kept it clean in the early laps, later switching to Mediums as the surface began to dry out - rejoining in P14 and immediately setting his sights on moving forward.
Next, Alonso’s Aston Martin was Ollie’s target and on Lap 17, Ollie used DRS to pass the two-time world champion for P13. With the laps ticking down, Ollie wasn’t done yet. On the penultimate lap, he swept past Yuki Tsunoda to take P11 - once again just shy of the points.
Looking Ahead
That is now four consecutive P11 finishes for Ollie - a stat that is both impressive and ever so slightly cruel. But as ever, the focus remains forward. With pace, maturity and that fighting spirit all firmly in place, the points cannot be far away as we head to Hungary for the next race.
