It was a weekend of resilience for Ollie Bearman in São Paulo at the legendary Interlagos circuit. Replacing an ill Kevin Magnussen for the MoneyGram Haas Formula 1 team, Ollie seized his third opportunity this season to race in Formula 1.
The 2025 Haas driver took the wheel for the entire weekend, building on his earlier stints this season in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan. Earning the nickname ‘Super-Sub’ from some media outlets, Ollie made an impression in every part of the race weekend, proving his adaptability and pace under pressure.
Free Practice Sessions
With only one hour to practise on the newly resurfaced track, Ollie wasted no time. While other drivers struggled with bumps in the new road, Ollie kept his head down, charging through the session to set the third fastest time overall. Just 0.195s behind Lando Norris, Ollie was already showing his tenacity, making a strong case for his readiness to jump into the Haas seat full-time.
Sprint Qualifying
Ollie looked set for another impressive result, finishing comfortably within the top ten in both of the first two Sprint Qualifying sessions. However, running wide on Turn 2 as the third session got underway meant that his lap time was deleted, pushing him to qualify in P10.
His team for next year quickly stepped in to defend Ollie’s moves, explaining that an issue with the tyre temperature control box meant there was less grip available for Ollie going into the turn.
Sprint Race
Starting P10, Ollie had a clean launch, briefly dropping back before climbing his way up the field by Lap 4. Running closely to his teammate Nico Hulkenberg and even passing the Red Bull Racing car of Sergio Perez, Ollie was holding his ground.
A Virtual Safety Car paused his pace and progress meaning he dropped two places in the closing laps of the race. He finished the Sprint in P14.
Grand Prix Qualification
A rain-soaked Saturday meant Qualifying was delayed before eventually being suspended until Sunday morning. With five red flags interrupting the session, even seasoned pros like Hamilton and Norris found themselves off the pace. Despite the chaos, Ollie managed to out-qualify his teammate for the weekend, Hulkenburg, landing in P17 in Q1. It was a valiant effort, highlighting his adaptability in extreme weather.
Grand Prix Sunday
Ollie started in P15 after other drivers incurred penalties. After an initial aborted start, when things finally got underway, Ollie surged forward, climbing two spots in an impressive double overtake.
A collision with Franco Colapinto sent Ollie into a spin. When the stewards decided it was Ollie who was responsible, he was handed a 10 second penalty. But he was not deterred. By Lap 11, Ollie was within a second of the Ferrari, climbing to P10 by Lap 27.
As the rain intensified, the Safety Car was deployed before the race was stopped entirely when Colapinto hit the barrier. Restarting the race in P16, by Lap 36, Ollie had climbed to fourteenth on the grid when he went into another spin, this time clipping the barrier. Managing to rejoin the track unaided, Ollie found himself at the back of the 15 remaining drivers with it all to do.
The weather may have been soggy but his race pace was anything but dampened as Ollie launched a series of impressive overtakes, catapulting himself to P14, P13 and P12 in just a handful of laps. Ollie finished the race in P12.
Looking Ahead
With each F1 appearance, Ollie gains invaluable experience, especially in unpredictable conditions like those at the Brazilian Grand Prix. Next, he heads back to Formula 2 for the Qatar Grand Prix at the end of November before wrapping up his season in Abu Dhabi in December.
