Vasseur makes telling admission after Bearman’s impressive result

Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur praised Oliver Bearman’s outstanding performance at the Mexican Grand Prix.

The young Haas driver earned high praise from the Frenchman, who speaking to the media after the race said: “At one stage, I was thinking about a podium for him. He did very well. But if you have a look from the beginning of the season, he's doing well.”

Vasseur pointed out that this time, by putting together an almost flawless weekend, Bearman managed to extract the absolute maximum from the car’s potential.

“Quite often, he had a small issue in the weekend, either in quali or in the race and this weekend, he put everything together. He made zero mistakes and he's paying off. It's good also for the team to have two cars up in the points.”

Photo: Race Pictures

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In the middle stages of the race, as strategies began to unfold ahead of the second round of pit stops, Oscar Piastri was caught behind the Frenchman, unable to make a move for several laps. The delay cost him a few crucial seconds — a margin that would later prove decisive in Bearman’s ability to stay ahead at the chequered flag.

“I defended on Oscar, trying to protect Ollie,” the Frenchman told media after the race. “I made him lose quite a few seconds with that fight, between four to six, so that was quite good.”

Ocon also delivered a strong race himself, despite the time lost behind Yuki Tsunoda, crossing the line in ninth place and helping Haas leave Mexico with a double points finish and an important haul in the battle for sixth in the Constructors’ Championship, where the team now trails Racing Bulls and Aston Martin by a much smaller margin.

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