Oliver Bearman has broken his silence over the sudden departure of now former teammate Esteban Ocon during the Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix.
Bearman found himself with a new teammate less than halfway into the Mexico City GP weekend, as Ocon was suddenly dropped by Haas on Saturday morning.
Test and Development Driver Ryo Hirakawa stood in for the Frenchman and enjoyed a competitive Sunday, finishing tenth once penalties were applied.
No detail has been released by Haas on the cause of the sudden departure, with Ocon taking to social media to deny claims he was in any way violent towards a senior figure in the team.
Bearman, speaking after qualifying in Mexico City confirmed he did not know the cause of Ocon’s sudden exit but did reveal he did contact the Frenchman.
“I sent a message to Esteban,” he said to media, including Motorsport Week.
“It’s a really tough situation and I don’t know exactly what’s happened if I’m brutally honest with you, but it’s never a happy situation when these situations occur.”
Oliver Bearman reminded of start of his own journey
Bearman also confirmed he helped Hirakawa “as much as possible” during the weekend once the Japanese driver was given the call up.
“All I can say is that I’ve of course been helping Ryo as much as possible to to speed up the learning curve, and I’m also very happy for him to get his first experience in F1,” he added.
“Looking in the garage in FP3 with all the cameras, they reminded me of my FP3 a few years ago in Jeddah.
“It will be a great memory for him and a fantastic experience but, of course, in a really challenging and sad circumstance”.
He also offered advice to his temporary teammate, giving words of encouragement.
“Send it, send it. Break at the 50 [metre board] in Turn 1, and go for it.”
Haas has since confirmed 2027 signing Rafael Camara as Bearman’s teammate in Sao Paulo, given the Briton a preview of what to expect when the Brazilian joins the team next season.
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