Oliver Bearman admits all of his F1 rivals were ‘laughing’ at one embarrassing mistake he made during rookie season

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Oliver Bearman has shown promise during his rookie Formula 1 season, but lacked consistency. The Haas driver sits 18th in the championship at the halfway stage.

In Bearman’s defence, his form is broadly reflective of Haas‘ fluctuations. They have been one of the least predictable teams on the grid, occasionally able to reach Q3 but sometimes looking slowest of all.

The Ferrari academy driver scored points in three straight races between China and Saudi Arabia, but hasn’t made the top 10 since. Agonisingly, he’s finished 11th in the last three Grands Prix.

Bearman’s record up against Esteban Ocon, a proven midfield driver with 168 races of experience and four podium finishes to his name, is certainly respectable. He’s beaten him in 10 out of 25 competitive sessions.

The two drivers tangled during the British GP last time out, which could increase the competitive tension going forward.

Oliver Bearman was ridiculed for crashing into the Silverstone pit wall

Bearman has accumulated eight penalty points, putting him 75% of the way to a race ban. The first of those points won’t expire until November.

He received the maximum sanction of four at the British GP after he crashed in the pit lane under red flag conditions. Bearman appeared to attack the entry as if it were the race, but the drivers were under orders to be cautious after Gabriel Bortoleto’s off saw the session stopped.

Max Verstappen laughed at Bearman on the radio given the unique nature of the incident. And speaking on the ‘P1 with Matt and Tommy’ YouTube channel, he admitted that several others drivers had ridiculed him too during the Sunday parade.

Asked what the drivers talk about before the race, he said: “Anything but racing actually! Normally, we just talk rubbish and laugh with each other.

“I often go and stand with Gabriel or someone that I know well and have a good laugh about random stuff – what we’re doing next week, what tyres they’re starting on, mostly not racing and one percent trying to get some insights!

“The drivers’ parade at Silverstone was sad for me, because everyone was laughing at my pit lane crash. There you go, there’s some work stuff in there as well!”

Oliver Bearman was lucky not to be ‘sent home’ for F1 transgression

Bearman’s penalty was called ‘ludicrous’ by Peter Windsor, who says the rulebook needs to be rewritten to better reflect the severity of different offences. He also received a ten-place demotion, dropping him from eighth to 18th.

However, Martin Brundle says Bearman could have been ‘sent home’ in a different era. The stewards are extremely strict with red-flag transgressions – Yuki Tsunoda received a 10-place drop for overtaking under such conditions in Canada.

Allowances will be made for the 20-year-old given his inexperience. But a race ban would cause significant damage to his reputation, so he must be careful.

Bearman’s target is to replace Lewis Hamilton when he eventually leaves Ferrari. He made his name during three impressive stand-in appearances last year; ironically, one of those was due to a suspension for Kevin Magnussen.