Why Ollie Bearman has 'no regrets' after Haas US GP points gamble backfires
A clash with Pierre Gasly cost the Haas driver downforce and a penalty, but he insists aggressive moves are essential in their current package.
In the early stages of the United States Grand Prix, Pierre Gasly and Ollie Bearman found themselves fighting for tenth place on track.
After the Virtual Safety Car period ended on Lap 2, Bearman was able to launch a move on Gasly at Turn 13, but the Brit and Frenchman made contact.
Bearman was able to secure tenth place after passing Gasly, but he also suffered damage to his Haas and picked up a 10-second time penalty for his part in the incident.
Eventually, Bearman had to retire from the Grand Prix after completing 24 laps of the 56 Lap Grand Prix. However, after the race concluded, he insisted that he did not ‘regret’ attempting the overtake on Gasly.
"I went up his inside, he saw me because he left space but for me it didn't really feel like enough. It was a bit of space but only half a car and by the time I was committed, I wasn't disappearing," said Bearman.
"So we made a bit of contact, I picked up a huge amount of damage on my car. I probably damaged Pierre's car as well. It was a shame because I felt like I was massively penalised for it and it actually ruined my race to have that amount of damage.
"I was losing a second a lap due to downforce, and on top of that, I picked up a penalty. In my view it was a racing incident.”
Bearman did admit that he knew he needed to be aggressive, as Haas currently struggles to be able to match the likes of Alpine and Racing Bulls in the midfield.
He said, "To be honest, I don't regret going for the move because at this stage if we don't do something special and get a bit lucky, be a aggressive and go for it, then we're not going to score points because we're not fast enough to do that on merit.”
When Gasly was asked about the contact, he said: "I think [the overtake] was a little optimistic, not crazy, but a little optimistic.
"Unfortunately, there was this touch which cost us and cost probably 5-10 seconds of race time following it. It was not ideal, but at the same time, he tried it. It just wasn't the cleanest move."
