F1 News: Ollie Bearman Reveals Hulkenberg Team Orders - 'Don't Think It Needs Discussion'

Alex Harrington | Sep 16, 2024

Nico Hulkenberg & Oliver Bearman, MoneyGram Haas F1 Team, Sunday at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix / Moneygram Haas F1 Team

It's safe to say that Ollie Bearman has made an impression on his debut F1 Grand Prix with Haas, becoming the first driver to score points for two different teams in his first two Grand Prix starts. The young driver, who stepped in to replace Kevin Magnussen, shared the details of his thrilling race at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix where he passed his experienced teammate Nico Hulkenberg.

Bearman was called in as a substitute for Kevin Magnussen at Haas, following Magnussen's one-race ban. Bearman’s previous success in Formula 2 at Baku suggested a promising performance. Starting from P11, Bearman was promoted to P10 after Lewis Hamilton was relegated to start from the pit lane, setting the stage for a competitive race in the points.

As the race unfolded, Bearman found himself in P12 before an incident involving Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz elevated him into a points-paying position. Reflecting on his performance, Bearman compared his approach and strategy through the race’s stints, sharing that his first stint was particularly challenging.

“It was a tough race out there,” Bearman explained via Formula 1. “I was a little bit cautious on my first stint and lost the pack a little bit. [It was a] bit difficult.”

The tide turned somewhat in the second stint, where Bearman’s performance improved despite an increase in traffic and tire management.

"Second stint was much better, I just got stuck a few times in traffic and every time I was trying to overtake, I was losing a bit of grip from the tyres overheating. It took me a few laps to recover again but whenever I had clean air I was able to have good pace, but clean air is not easy to come by round here.”

Initially, Hulkenberg took the lead for Haas but later experienced a loss in pace due to a damaged front wing, which allowed Bearman to reclaim his position. But earlier in the race, the American-owned team asked for Bearman to let his teammate through. Asked whether he was okay with the team orders, he said:

“No, I don’t think it needs discussion. I was slower at that point and it was hurting the strategy, so it was on me to speed up. I was, just like I said, being too easy and when he overtook me I was able to see the pace is much higher and just to drive faster. It’s my fault and it makes full sense to swap the drivers.”

2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Results

1. Oscar Piastri
2. Charles Leclerc
3. George Russell
4. Lando Norris
5. Max Verstappen
6. Fernando Alonso
7. Alex Albon
8. Franco Colapinto
9. Lewis Hamilton
10. Ollie Bearman
11. Nico Hulkenberg
12. Pierre Gasly
13. Daniel Ricciardo
14. Zhou Guanyu
15. Esteban Ocon
16. Valtteri Bottas
17. Carlos Sainz - DNF
18. Sergio Perez - DNF
19. Lance Stroll - DNF
20. Yuki Tsunoda - DNF