Haas drivers ‘really proud’ of double-points finish in Bahrain as Ocon pleased to atone for Qualifying crash

Ollie Bearman declared himself “really proud” of his surge from the back of the grid to claim a point in a Bahrain Grand Prix, which included a spirited defence to hold off much faster machinery behind.

The Haas driver produced one of the drives of the day to successfully recover from a dismal Qualifying performance that had left the Briton last on the grid.

Bearman made a stunning start, claiming five positions on the opening lap before continuing to make inroads through the field. While the Safety Car fell at a convenient time, Bearman showcased his class to defend 10th spot from Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli and Williams’ Alex Albon to score the final point – his third points finish in the opening four races of his first full F1 season.

“I feel really good, it was a great race, it flew by!» said Bearman.

’It was a great race’ – Bearman reflects on his last-to-points run in Bahrain

«Those last 20 laps after the Safety Car restart, I was under a lot of pressure trying to hold position with the Mercedes behind and trying to fight in front as well. It was a tough one, it was a really difficult race but so happy to bring home a point for the team after a really poor Qualifying yesterday.”

Despite Bearman’s admission that luck had favoured him when the Safety Car was brought out to allow debris to be cleaned up around the track, the Briton nonetheless told the media that he was “really proud” of his Bahrain performance.

“Of course we were lucky with the Safety Car but I felt really strong in the first stint. The second stint on the hard [tyre] was a bit more difficult, but I think I was the only one on the hard at that point.

Ocon: ‘I’m super happy for the team because I let them down yesterday’

“We caught the Safety Car, which was of course very lucky, but then I had to hold my position which is easier said than done with faster cars around. I’m really proud of how I performed today. I think I did a really good job, and of course the team – it goes without saying – they have done fantastically as well.”

Bearman’s more experienced team mate Esteban Ocon ensured Haas ended the race with two cars inside the top 10, with the Frenchman coming home in eighth – Ocon especially satisfied to repay the team, after he crashed in Qualifying on Saturday.

“I’m super happy for the team because I let them down yesterday making that mistake when there was more potential in the car,” he said. “Today, everything worked out as planned; we got a mega start and managed to get an aggressive strategy to straight away be fighting in the points.

“From there, it was the maximum we could’ve done as the Safety Car put us in a bad position, as we were about to get overtaken by Tsunoda, and Ollie benefited as well. It was a great drive from him coming from P20 – a double-points finish for the team. We’re delighted as it’s the maximum we could’ve done and I’m proud of what we’ve achieved.”

Haas sit fifth in Teams’ Championship heading into the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.