Oliver Bearman admits “I was sh***ing myself” in Max…

Oliver Bearman claimed he was "sh***ing myself going side by side" with four-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen during the Mexico Grand Prix.

The British driver, who started the race from ninth position, secured his best finish in the championship after crossing the line in fourth behind new championship leader Lando Norris in first and Charles Leclerc and Verstappen in second and third.

Recounting the chaotic start to the race, when he made the most of Verstappen's battle with Lewis Hamilton, Bearman told the media: "Yeah, I had a good start. I slotted myself between the two Mercs, I think, and then actually, in those laps, I had good pace. You know, I was able to stay in DRS.

"George lost DRS to the car ahead. And then Hamilton and Max had a bit of a coming together, and I benefited from that too. Honestly, I was sh***ing myself going side by side with Max, but it's really cool to go wheel to wheel with these people that I've been watching since I started watching F1.

"And I had him in my mirrors for a long time, so it was probably the most pressure I've ever had in a race scenario."

When asked if racing against the top cars boosted his confidence, the 20-year-old driver added: "Yeah, it's cool and I didn't expect to be fighting against these top cars this year or this stage of my career. But it gives me a great feeling for the future, and hopefully that can be the normal thing instead of a one-off."

While he had his sights on his first podium finish in the championship, Bearman agreed that it wasn't worth the risk to stay out for a longer stint on the medium tyres.

Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team (Photo by: Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images)

"At points on that medium, I was, from what we understood, I was bringing that tyre to the end until I got called to box. I need to look back at exactly what happened, but I think in our position, it would have been a bit risky trying to stay out and go for the podium and potentially finish sixth or seventh.

"I think we did the right choice by consolidating, even if it maybe stopped us from having the chance of a podium. But, we finished fourth still. It's not bad."

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur also commented on Bearman's performance, with the young driver being a reserve driver for the Scuderia in 2024.

"At one stage, I was thinking about a podium for him," he said. "No, he did very well. But if you have a look from the beginning of the season, he's doing well.

"Quite often, he had a small issue in the weekend, either in quali or in the race. And this weekend, he put everything together. He made zero mistakes and he's paying off. It's good also for the team to have two cars up into the points. Congratulations to Ayao and to Ollie."

Bearman's 12 points at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez have resulted in a move to 13th in the drivers' standings with 32 points. Haas now sits eighth in the constructors' championship with 62 points, two points ahead of Sauber and seven points behind Aston Martin.