Rookies Bearman and Hadjar Share Frustrations with Tricky Mexico Quali

Rookie Struggles at Mexican Grand Prix

The Mexican Grand Prix has seen rookie drivers Oliver Bearman and Isack Hadjar express their frustrations over missing FP1 sessions, an event that usually benefits other rookies. Bearman, a Haas F1 Team driver, was benched for this practice session to allow Ryo Hirakawa, another young driver from Racing Bulls, to participate in his fourth practice run of the season.

Speaking after qualifying, Bearman highlighted the challenges he faces as a rookie: “But the facts are that I’m still a rookie, this is my first full season, and I’m still having to give up FP1.” He further elaborated on why missing out on such sessions is tough for him. “Yeah, it’s a tough track and I probably underestimated the fact how important it is to even do FP1,” he said.

Qualifying Performance Highlights

In qualifying, Bearman managed to secure a tenth-place starting position despite missing out on FP1 sessions. His teammate Isack Hadjar initially struggled in practice but showed significant improvement by the end of Friday’s running. Hadjar climbed from 14th in FP2 to ninth place in qualifying, reflecting his team’s efforts to understand and optimize their car setup.

Hadjar expressed satisfaction with the progress made: “Honestly we made all the right calls yesterday.

So that’s the most important to me. We really understood what was going on. ‘We were slow and now we’re pretty fast. So within two sessions to turn the car around is very good.” However, he also acknowledged the ongoing challenges in starting positions due to poor handling of their car: “Yeah, honestly now, I don’t know how many races I’m starting on the wrong side of the grid because I know my starts are good, but we keep being on the wrong side and it’s a long run into Turn 1.”

Future Prospects and Reflections

Both Bearman and Hadjar emphasized their determination to continue improving despite these setbacks. Bearman’s statement reflects his ongoing learning curve: “But the facts are that I’m still a rookie, this is my first full season, and I’m still having to give up FP1, so I shouldn’t even be in this situation where I’m having to give up FP1s.” Hadjar’s performance showed signs of improvement but highlighted their need for more consistent starting positions: “Check out the latest episode of GPblog’s ‘F1 Paddock Update’ here! Want to stay up-to-date with what happens in the F1 paddock? Then GPblog’s F1 Paddock Update video is the perfect way to do it.” This statement encourages fans and followers to remain engaged with their team’s progress.