Bearman: Verstappen is 'the one' and 'reference' on how to be a champion

Oliver Bearman sends praise to Max Verstappen after their battle at the Mexican Grand Prix, claiming that the four-time world champion is "the one."

The Haas driver had the chance to tussle with Verstappen at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, pulling off a move on the Dutchman at Turn 4.

Although Verstappen finished in P3 after exiting the pits earlier, Bearman scored his first-ever P4 finish in Formula 1.

At Interlagos, Bearman said: "In my opinion, Max is the most talented driver, and for me at least, he's the reference of what to do when I'm in a top car.

"Max is in a top car; he's the guy, he's the one, he's the fastest, he's the best.

"That, for me, is the guy that I'm looking up to in terms of the reference of what I need to do in F1 if I want to win a championship one day."

Bearman scored Haas' best result so far this season after a gritty race around Interlagos saw him narrowly miss out on the podium for a P4 finish.

The Briton emphasised his race against Verstappen was "cool", claiming: "to go side by side with someone like him is very cool.

"Of course, it was very specific circumstances, and it's not normal to do that, but it's nice anyway, it's a good feeling.

"Well, that was the first time that I went wheel to wheel with one of the great drivers of F1, the ones with success and the ones with a big legacy in this sport.

"So, that's cool. It's cool, and hopefully, I have many more opportunities to do the same because it's a really special feeling.

"We have four more races; it's not over yet. But that was very cool."

"It's really nice to bring that result to the team. It's been a long time since they had a P4, and of course, for a team of our size and our scale and operation compared to the others, P4 for us is a fantastic result.

"We get one chance a year maximum to finish on the podium and that was our chance."

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