British driver Oliver Bearman finished the Australian GP on Sunday (8) in seventh place. However, shortly after the race at the Albert Park Circuit, the Haas driver harshly criticized the new generation of Formula 1 cars. He compared the driving to a “video game” and questioned the drivability of this year’s models.
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“Yeah, a bit. It was like I was in F1 and everyone else was in F2,” said Bearman. “But then, you have to recharge the battery again, otherwise you’re dead on the next straight. It’s a lot of things to think about, but I’m happy with P7.”
The driver described his battle for seventh place with rookie Arvid Lindblad of Racing Bulls, showing the difference to the previous generation cars: “It took me 10 laps. If you were a bit faster, you had the chance to overtake. It took me almost 30 laps to be faster, or 20 laps, you know. That was a bit frustrating.”
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He also reported funny moments at the start of the race: “On Lap 1 and Lap 2, I just thought, I think I’ll try this boost button. I would just fly past everyone on the straight.”
Bearman reinforced criticisms already made by Lando Norris and Max Verstappen about the boost system: “It’s a bit ridiculous to have such a large delta on a button and lose so much on the next straight. This isn’t racing, this is Formula E,” concluded the Briton, who is in his second full season in F1.
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