Oliver Bearman continued his scathing rebuttal of Yuki Tsunoda’s driving standards after their run-in in Formula 1‘s United States Grand Prix, labelling him “dangerous”.
Bearman’s race in Austin endured a blip on Lap 34 when an attempted move on Tsunoda into Turn 15 ended with the Haas driver in a spin as he avoided the Red Bull.
Despite salvaging ninth at the chequered flag, he lost two positions as a result of the near miss, ruining what could have been a stronger result at Haas’ home circuit.
Accusing Tsunoda of moving under braking, the duo engaged in a bitter war of words after the race, the Japanese pilot vehemently denying his driving was dangerous.
Ahead of this weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix, Bearman continued to voice his displeasure at Tsunoda’s driving standards and his discontent at the previous incident.
“Yeah, I mean, I still have the same assessment,” Bearman admitted to media including Motorsport Week.
“Of course, when I finished the race, I was not happy.
“Of course, there was adrenaline and stuff, but the corner is one that you can do these kind of dangerous moves without it being that obvious, because of the nature of the corner.
“So, a lot of people don’t see what I saw and what we saw, but no, I keep the same view.
Bearman, explaining his stance on driving etiquette, also indicated that the issue of moving under braking could come up again during this weekend’s driver briefing.
“I mean, this corner where the track is turning left anyway, you just say, well, I’m taking the apex,” he recounted.
“But if you look at every other lap, that’s not how it looks, you know, so it’s one of those things.
“That’s the bit that’s worrying, I would say, and the fact that you broke super early as well. That’s where it becomes dangerous.”
Bearman relieved to avoid potential race ban
This weekend will mark the final race Bearman will race under the shadow of a potential race ban, having moved to within just two points of picking up a suspension.
Asked if getting through the upcoming weekend unscathed would come as a relief, he gave an honest assessment, revealing he was happy with his driving standards.
“It’s been a tough few races on that side of things, but it hasn’t necessarily meant that the results haven’t been there,” he asserted.
“So it’s not a big issue, but I’m looking forward to have that target off my back, hopefully.
“I never thought my approach on track was stiff. I have 10 points and eight of those, four I definitely deserved in Silverstone, but that’s not a racing thing, that’s just a stupidity thing.
“And then I got another four in Monaco, which is also one that can be argued either way, in my opinion. It’s not like I’ve been taking people out.”
READ MORE – Oliver Bearman: Yuki Tsunoda drove ‘against image we should project to kids’ in F1 US GP
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