Bearman: Monaco FP3 crash was 'strangest' of my F1 career after Q1 elimination

Oliver Bearman called his Free Practice 3 crash at the Monaco Grand Prix the strangest of his young Formula 1 career after picking up dust at Massenet corner. Though Haas mechanics repaired the damaged VF-26 in time for qualifying, the rookie still suffered a painful Q1 elimination by just 0.013 seconds after a disrupted session left him with cold tires on his final push lap.

Why it matters:

Monaco is a circuit where qualifying dictates the entire weekend, making Bearman’s elimination particularly costly. The Briton showed genuine pace that could have placed him on the cusp of Q3, but the narrow streets of Monte Carlo once again proved that even minor misfortune can derail a promising session for teams fighting at the margins.

The Details:

• Bearman picked up dust while moving slightly right to avoid a Mercedes in traffic, sending his car into the guardrail and damaging the right-hand side. He called the incident “so uncharacteristic” of the car’s behavior all weekend.
• The Haas crew rebuilt the car impressively ahead of qualifying, and Bearman noted it felt strong heading into the session.
• Gabriel Bortoleto’s late Q1 crash caused a yellow flag on Bearman’s best lap, which he said was “easily” fast enough for the top ten at that stage and sufficient to advance.
• A two-and-a-half-minute wait under the red flag forced Bearman to push hard on his out-lap instead of prepping his tires. The new set was roughly 10°C too cold, leaving him sliding through the swimming pool section with no grip.
• He was already five tenths down by the tunnel and could only improve by 0.09s on his final run, ending up 19th and narrowly missing the Q2 cut-off.

What's next:

While the result stings, Bearman’s underlying speed at Monaco offered a clear signal that Haas has capable machinery beneath him. Turning that potential into clean qualifying sessions and damage-free weekends will be the next step as he searches for a breakthrough result in his rookie season.