News Summary

Ollie Bearman will not take part in qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix after Haas confirmed it is unable to repair his car in time following a heavy crash during FP3 at Madring.

The British driver crashed during Saturday’s final practice session and caused the second red flag of an incident-filled hour in Madrid. The damage to the Haas was extensive enough that the team has now ruled out getting the car ready for qualifying.

Bearman admitted his disappointment after the crash but felt there was little he could have done to prevent it. “It was an unfortunate moment, to be honest, and I am very disappointed,” he said. “I just lost the rear at Turn 10. It just went… I had a gust of wind that tipped me round. I don’t feel I did much wrong, it was just very unfortunate.”

That leaves Bearman without the opportunity to set a qualifying time on Saturday and creates a major setback ahead of Sunday’s race at Formula 1’s new Madrid circuit.

Formula 1’s official report confirmed that Bearman’s accident was one of two crashes to interrupt FP3, alongside Lewis Hamilton’s earlier incident. Andrea Kimi Antonelli ultimately finished fastest for Mercedes ahead of Charles Leclerc.

Bearman’s accident came late in the session. The Haas driver lost control of the VF-26 and hit the barriers heavily, bringing proceedings to a halt while marshals recovered the damaged car.

Haas subsequently confirmed that the scale of the repairs required means Bearman will be unable to participate in qualifying.

The setback comes after a relatively encouraging Friday for the team. Bearman finished 16th in FP1 before improving to 14th in FP2 with a 1:35.203, while team-mate Esteban Ocon reached ninth in the second session.

Speaking after Friday’s running, Bearman had described Madring as a mixture of Baku and Jeddah and said Haas had made a significant step between the two sessions. His comments were published by Formula 1 after practice.

The team had also been encouraged by the performance of the aerodynamic package introduced at Monza. Team principal Ayao Komatsu said after Friday that both cars were behaving consistently and that Haas had made progress between FP1 and FP2, with qualifying expected to be particularly important at a circuit where track position could carry significant weight.

Bearman’s crash has now eliminated any possibility of converting that progress into a qualifying result on his side of the garage.

His absence also means only Ocon will represent Haas during the qualifying session.

Attention will subsequently turn to whether Bearman’s car can be repaired for Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix and what procedures will determine his participation after failing to set a qualifying time.

FAQ

Why is Ollie Bearman missing Spanish GP qualifying?

Bearman crashed heavily during FP3 at Madring. Haas confirmed that the damage is too extensive to repair the car before qualifying.

Did Ollie Bearman crash in FP3 in Madrid?

Yes. Bearman’s accident caused the second red flag of Saturday’s final practice session. Lewis Hamilton had caused an earlier stoppage after crashing his Ferrari.

Can Ollie Bearman still race in the Spanish GP?

Missing qualifying does not automatically prevent Bearman from racing. His participation will depend on Haas repairing the car for Sunday and the necessary approval for him to start after failing to set a qualifying time.