Daily News 19

Tag: Ollie Bearman

  • Kimi Antonelli Vows to Learn from ‘worst weekend of the season’ in Azerbaijan

    Kimi Antonelli Vows to Learn from ‘worst weekend of the season’ in Azerbaijan

    Key Highlights

    • Kimi Antonelli endured his “worst weekend of the season” at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, crashing in qualifying and starting 16th before recovering to fifth.
    • Teammate George Russell’s pole-to-victory drive reduced Antonelli’s championship lead from 81 points to 66.
    • Antonelli revealed he carried “big floor damage” after contact with Ollie Bearman at the Safety Car restart, limiting his race pace.

    Disastrous Start in Baku Sets Tone for Difficult Weekend

    Kimi Antonelli’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend unraveled early, with the Italian driver characterizing the event as his “worst weekend of the season” by a significant margin. Technical problems plagued his practice sessions before a dramatic crash in the opening phase of Qualifying relegated him to 16th on the grid. The setback stood in stark contrast to teammate George Russell, who secured pole position for Mercedes, highlighting the fine margins that defined the weekend for the championship leader.

    Race Day Recovery Amid Significant Floor Damage

    Despite the compromised grid slot, Antonelli mounted a determined recovery drive to finish fifth. However, the race was far from straightforward. Contact with Haas driver Ollie Bearman at the Safety Car restart inflicted substantial aerodynamic damage, a factor Antonelli identified as critical to his inability to challenge further forward.

    “I think it’s one of those days where you have to be happy with P5. Obviously it was the worst weekend, by far, of the season.”

    “I was just… I felt always a step behind, and especially with the mistake in Qualifying, the confidence level was not high. In today’s race I just tried to… today was about damage limitation.”

    “I didn’t have strong pace, and also after [contact with Haas’ Ollie Bearman at] the Safety Car restart I was carrying big damage, big floor damage.”

    “It was not easy out there, but I just did my best.”

    Championship Lead Cut as Russell Capitalizes

    The weekend’s championship implications were significant. Russell’s flawless execution—converting pole position into victory—slashed Antonelli’s title advantage from 81 points to 66. The 15-point swing underscores how quickly momentum can shift in a tightly contested season, placing added pressure on Antonelli to maximize every remaining opportunity.

    Antonelli Focused on Mental Reset for Asian Swing

    Looking ahead, the Formula 1 circus heads to Malaysia and Singapore over the next two weekends, marking a busy final phase of the campaign. Antonelli remains confident that Baku represents an anomaly rather than a trend, emphasizing the lessons learned.

    “I think this weekend taught me a lot.”

    “I think in many occasions this weekend… I don’t know, probably also with the mindset I was not in the best pace.”

    “I’ll just make sure that next weekend we get back at the right level.”

    Why This Matters

    The Azerbaijan weekend exposed vulnerabilities in Antonelli’s otherwise dominant season. While a single bad weekend is statistically inevitable over a long championship, the combination of a qualifying error, race-day damage, and a teammate’s maximum score creates a perilous narrative shift. With the championship lead now at 66 points—still substantial but no longer insurmountable—the psychological dynamic changes. Russell has demonstrated he can deliver a perfect weekend when the car is beneath him, and the upcoming street circuits in Singapore (and potentially Malaysia, per the current schedule) demand the precision and confidence Antonelli lacked in Baku. How he responds mentally over the next fortnight will likely define the championship’s final chapter.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What caused Kimi Antonelli’s poor qualifying performance in Baku?

    Antonelli crashed heavily in the opening phase of Qualifying after technical problems hampered his practice running, leaving him 16th on the grid while teammate George Russell took pole position.

    How much did Antonelli’s championship lead decrease after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix?

    George Russell’s victory from pole reduced Antonelli’s championship lead from 81 points to 66 points, a swing of 15 points in a single weekend.

    What damage did Antonelli sustain during the race?

    Antonelli reported “big floor damage” following contact with Haas driver Ollie Bearman at the Safety Car restart, which he said compromised his pace for the remainder of the race.

  • ‘We’re not in any rush’ – Ayao Komatsu Updates Haas’ 2027 F1 Driver Plans

    ‘We’re not in any rush’ – Ayao Komatsu Updates Haas’ 2027 F1 Driver Plans

    Haas Team Principal Ayao Komatsu Downplays Driver Line-Up Urgency Amid Development Struggles

    Haas Formula 1 Team Principal Ayao Komatsu has stated the team is in no hurry to finalize its 2025 driver lineup, emphasizing that the immediate priority is maximizing the performance of current drivers Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon. The comments come as the American-owned squad endures a difficult mid-season slump following a promising start to the campaign.

    Strong Start Gives Way to Points Drought

    Haas opened the season with competitive form, highlighted by Bearman’s impressive fifth-place finish at the Chinese Grand Prix. However, the team’s trajectory has since reversed sharply. A run of six consecutive rounds without scoring points has seen Haas slip down the constructors’ order as midfield rivals—most notably Racing Bulls and Alpine—have outpaced them in the development race.

    The downturn has intensified speculation regarding the team’s plans for the 2027 regulatory cycle and beyond. While neither seat has been officially confirmed for next season, paddock consensus suggests rookie Bearman is more likely to retain his drive than the experienced Ocon. Potential candidates such as Ferrari junior Rafael Camara and Red Bull-affiliated Yuki Tsunoda are widely viewed as waiting in the wings should a vacancy arise.

    Komatsu: Focus Remains on Current Duo

    Speaking ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix—where Haas ultimately suffered a double DNF—Komatsu was reluctant to engage with the driver market speculation.

    “We’re not in any rush. We’re focused on our two drivers, Ollie and Esteban, trying to get the best out of them. They’ve got the tough challenge, right?

    “You know what they’re capable of. You know, Ollie has shown it repeatedly. Esteban, when he is happy with the car, you know what he can do.

    “So we need to really just focus on providing them with the best possible car, best set-up adaptation, and get the best out of them. And then both of our drivers are fully focused.”

    The points disparity between the teammates is stark: Bearman has accumulated 18 points to Ocon’s three. However, the rookie recently cautioned that the standings do not accurately reflect their on-track rivalry, citing apparent “inconsistency” between the parts fitted to their respective cars.

    Smallest Team Faces Biggest Regulation Challenge

    Komatsu acknowledged the scale of the challenge facing Haas, the smallest operation on the grid, under the current regulatory framework.

    “This is the biggest regulation change ever. So us being the smallest team, we expect that we’re going to really be struggling to keep up with the other big boys in the development race.

    “We started the season extremely well, much better than anyone can think of, and then from that moment I think that’s the reality. With our constraints, we’re trying to develop the car as fast as possible, but the other guys are putting performance on the car faster than us. That’s the reality.”

    The team principal was quick to defend his personnel, stressing that the deficit is a resource issue rather than a capability one.

    “Then, to be fair, honestly, it’s nothing against the guys in the team – they’re doing a fantastic job, they’re working together, and then for us to have a chance to keep up with the other guys, everything has to be perfect, right? Everything. In life, that’s not something you can ask for all the time.

    “I really do think I need to provide them with a better environment, facilitate it, so that they can show what they’re capable of. I’m sure of that. But the good thing is those tough times show the character, right? And then there’s no blame culture.”

    Engineering Focus: Downforce and Drivability Deficits

    Komatsu outlined the specific technical areas where the VF-24 is underperforming, confirming the engineering group has a clear diagnosis of the car’s shortcomings.

    “We looked at the problem: what’s the issue, where are we lacking downforce, why the drivability is not great, what are the drivers struggling with? We’re all on the same page, trying to fix the issue, trying to put performance on the car. But of course, again, that takes time.”

    He concluded with a message of resilience, drawing on the team’s recent history of overcoming adversity.

    “Lots of things we’re putting in place will take time for it to materialise, but we’ve just got to believe in ourselves, the teamwork, support each other, and we’ll get through it like we did the last two years.”