Oliver Bearman escaped a potential major crash with Isack Hadjar on the opening lap of the Chinese Grand Prix. The Haas driver recovered from the incident to finish fifth. Hadjar spun out at Turn 13 but still scored points in eighth.
During the first lap of Formula 1's Chinese Grand Prix, Oliver Bearman and Isack Hadjar were contesting sixth position when Hadjar lost control at high speed in Turn 13, leading to the back straight. Bearman took evasive action into the run-off area to avoid the spinning Red Bull car driven by the Frenchman, who described the incident as instantaneous: “It was just very instantaneous, the way the car snapped out of me. I didn't even have time to have any input on that, the thing just spun out and I was done.” Hadjar finished eighth, earning four points. Bearman called himself lucky: “I’m lucky to be here... that would have been a monster shunt.” He noted tricky conditions due to wind affecting car balance for many drivers. After dropping to 12th at the end of lap one, Bearman overtook Carlos Sainz, Max Verstappen, and Liam Lawson within nine laps to reach the top 10. Following a safety car, he passed Pierre Gasly, Nico Hulkenberg, Arvid Lindblad, Esteban Ocon, and Franco Colapinto, likening his stint to “40 qualifying laps.” Bearman described the car as feeling great and quicker than the RBs and Audi at that stage. His 10 points elevated Haas to fourth in the constructors' championship, ahead of Red Bull and one point behind McLaren. The 20-year-old Briton climbed to fifth in the drivers' standings, behind only Mercedes and Ferrari drivers.
