Formula 1 Chinese GP
“I’m lucky to be here” – Oliver Bearman avoided “monster shunt” with out-of-control Isack Hadjar
Bearman had a lap-one scare as Hadjar spun in front of him, but recovered to climb to fifth in the drivers’ championship
Ben Vinel Oleg Karpov
Edited: Mar 15, 2026, 5:05 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team
Photo by: Peter Fox / Getty Images
Oliver Bearman and Isack Hadjar have recounted their frightful near-miss on the first lap of Formula 1’s Chinese Grand Prix, with the Haas driver counting himself lucky.
The pair was battling for sixth position when Hadjar lost control at high-speed in the Turn 13 curve leading to the lengthy back straight; Bearman narrowly avoided the spinning Red Bull but had to take evasive action deep into the run-off area.
“It was just very instantaneous, the way the car snapped out of me,” the Frenchman tersely related. “I didn't even have time to have any input on that, the thing just spun out and I was done.” He still scored four points in eighth.
Read Also:
Formula 1Max Verstappen: F1 fans who enjoy 2026 rules 'don't understand racing'
Formula 1Max Verstappen “in a horror show” – Toto Wolff responds to 2026 F1 criticism
“I was so lucky, to be honest, to avoid that,” a visibly relieved Bearman commented. “I mean, I'm lucky to be standing here.
“Honestly, that would have been a monster shunt. It was a really tricky corner, that whole race, with the wind of today. It was just all over the place, the car balance, I think for everyone – well, I hope for everyone, because it was tough for me.
“And I saw with Isack, you know, we were pushing hard and, to be honest, it felt like the corner was done and the next thing I know, he's sideways and then, I'm trying to avoid him in one tenth of a second. I went left, I had to go off track to avoid and I ended up back in last again.
“So, both of my races this year, Australia and China, I've ended up pretty much last after lap one. But we're getting there and the race was fantastic after that.”
Bearman’s account was slightly exaggerated there. He was down in 12th at the end of the first lap, with six cars behind him; it took only nine laps for him to fight his way back into the top 10, as he overtook Carlos Sainz, Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team
Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images
Following the safety car intervention, Bearman performed what he described as ‘40 qualifying laps’ to successively pass Pierre Gasly, Nico Hulkenberg, Arvid Lindblad, Esteban Ocon and Franco Colapinto on his way to a remarkable fifth-place finish.
“Yeah, I made some overtakes on track,” the Briton added matter-of-factly. “You know, I was quicker than the RBs and I was quicker than the Audi at that stage. That was strong and the car felt great.
“Then, you know, we picked up a great safety car timing. But I think with the bad luck on lap one, that was kind of cancelled out by the great timing of the safety car. Pretty much I was back where I started after all of that, you know, I was right behind Pierre, which is where I was halfway through lap one before all of the mess. So, you know, that was great.
“The pace was really strong after that. I was able to clear the traffic and then, honestly, I was doing like 40 quali laps, which was good fun.”
Bearman’s strong 10-point haul means Haas is up in fourth in the constructors’ championship, ahead of Red Bull and just one point down on McLaren; meanwhile, the 20-year-old is up to fifth in the drivers’ standings, outscored by the Mercedes and Ferrari racers only.
Additional reporting by Stuart Codling
Photos from Chinese GP - Sunday
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Chinese GP - Sunday, in photos
Formula 1
67
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Jacques Villeneuve claims Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc ‘destroyed Ferrari’s race’ in Chinese GP battle
Next article Fernando Alonso steering wheel footage sparks safety fears after Chinese GP retirement
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Ben Vinel
Franco Colapinto urges fans to stop the abuse: “You’re not helping me or my future”
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
18 h
Franco Colapinto urges fans to stop the abuse: “You’re not helping me or my future”
Why Mercedes switched George Russell to its old F1 car spec in Singapore
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
20 h
Why Mercedes switched George Russell to its old F1 car spec in Singapore
More from
Isack Hadjar
“Just a disaster” – How Isack Hadjar’s nightmare Singapore F1 weekend unfolded
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
“Just a disaster” – How Isack Hadjar’s nightmare Singapore F1 weekend unfolded
Isack Hadjar "pissed off" after mechanical problems strike at Singapore GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
Isack Hadjar "pissed off" after mechanical problems strike at Singapore GP
More from
Red Bull Racing
Did Max Verstappen already know the impact of Red Bull’s big upgrade when he signed his new deal?
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
2 h
Did Max Verstappen already know the impact of Red Bull’s big upgrade when he signed his new deal?
Latest news
Phillip Island to remain in use despite MotoGP and WorldSBK departures
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Australian GP
1 h
Phillip Island to remain in use despite MotoGP and WorldSBK departures
Did Max Verstappen already know the impact of Red Bull’s big upgrade when he signed his new deal?
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Singapore GP
2 h
Did Max Verstappen already know the impact of Red Bull’s big upgrade when he signed his new deal?
WEC: Barcelona 6 Hours schedule and TV times
WEC
WEC WEC
Barcelona
3 h
WEC: Barcelona 6 Hours schedule and TV times
Brennan Poole joins Jordan Anderson Racing for 2027 NASCAR O'Reilly season
NASCAR O'Reilly
NOAP NASCAR O'Reilly
Phoenix II
4 h
Brennan Poole joins Jordan Anderson Racing for 2027 NASCAR O'Reilly season
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe