Oliver Bearman has admitted his "wrong mindset" cost him dearly at the start of his Formula 1 rookie season.

On 16 March 2025, the 21-year-old British driver endured a bruising debut weekend with Haas at the Australian Grand Prix. A crash in first practice and a gravel beaching in third practice left him staring at a nightmare race. Starting from the pitlane, Bearman limped home 14th — a result that forced him to confront his approach to F1 weekends.

What went wrong in Melbourne?

Bearman’s Australian GP unraveled fast. His first practice session ended in a shunt, while the third session saw him spin into the gravel and become stuck. The Haas VF-24 wasn’t the most compliant car either, compounding his struggles. He lined up from the pitlane and managed just 14th place.

"That weekend in general was a very tough one," Bearman told *F1 Off The Grid*. "I probably entered the weekend with the wrong mindset." The errors piled up. "Last year, I made a lot of mistakes. There are some I definitely could and should have avoided." He paused. "But some taught me a lot. It’s OK to do once. Not to do it twice."

The turnaround in Mexico

After the rocky start, Bearman silenced critics with a career-best fourth-place finish in Mexico on 28 September 2025. Haas hadn’t matched that result since Romain Grosjean’s 2018 fifth in Austria.

"That was a crazy weekend," Bearman said. "We were simply flying. Really quick. We managed to hold off those fast cars and drivers." The haul of eight points vaulted him clear of teammate Esteban Ocon, who finished 15th with 38 points to Bearman’s 41.

How the rookie season shaped up

Bearman’s rookie campaign ended with him 13th in the drivers’ championship. Ocon’s 15th-place finish highlighted the gap between them — though Bearman’s late surge narrowed it. The Brit’s ability to bounce back from Melbourne’s chaos proved crucial.

The season also underlined Haas’s struggles. Their VF-24 rarely challenged the midfield, yet Bearman’s raw pace still shone through. His Mexico result remains the team’s joint-best of 2025.

What’s next for Bearman?

With a year of F1 under his belt, Bearman heads into 2026 with fresh perspective. The lessons from Melbourne and Mexico will guide his winter work. Haas, meanwhile, will hope their 2026 car keeps him in the points more often.

Bearman’s rookie season wasn’t smooth. But his honesty about Melbourne’s mistakes and his Mexico fightback suggest a driver learning fast — and hungry to improve.