Oliver Bearman is hopeful that one particularly “horrible” downside of being a Formula 1 driver will disappear in the 2026 season.
2026 sees a new era of the sport, with a vast array of new technical regulations that will doubtlessly alter driving styles, lengthen lap times and provide extreme tests for all teams.
The new cars, amongst its many features, will be smaller, lighter and have a new array of different aerodynamics, which will bring a likelihood of a significant end to ground-effect.
The 2022-25 cars were known for their difficulty when it came to bouncing on straights due to the low ride heights, and despite improvements from the initial season, problems remained.
Max Verstappen, upon the conclusion of the season, launched a scathing takedown of the cars, and how it has brought about problems to his health.
Bearman corroborated these claims, explaining that the pain leaves a driver begging for a race to end as it nears the finish.
“Yeah, what it’s like when you hurt your back,” the Haas driver told media including Motorsport Week. “It’s just stiffness. I mean, I struggle to be comfortable, especially sleeping.
“It’s challenging the day after a race. And sometimes even two days after the race. When it’s a tough track, like Mexico is a good example, where you have to ride the kerbs.
“And that is just painful. So, you’re really counting down those last 15 laps, you’re really want it to end, because it hurts quite a lot.”
Bearman added that the cornering is where the biggest problem was, risking a loss of focus, and concluded by conveying his hope that the 2026 cars will render the issue a thing of the past.
“When normally you have the corners, which is putting you under load, it is the challenging part. Generally you have the straights to regain your breath and regain your concentration.
“But then you’re getting bounced up and down in the straights as well. There’s actually no rest in the race. So, that’s the difficult part. And that’s the part that is horrible.
“I hope it goes away [in 2026].”
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