Sky Sports reporter Ted Kravitz was left scratching his head after spotting Nico Hulkenberg making an early exit after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The race in Baku was filled with late drama as Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and Red Bull's Sergio Perez were involved in a massive crash on the second to last lap, which also had repercussions for Hulkenberg. Perez had been hot on the heels of Charles Leclerc in second place, but it was Leclerc's Ferrari teammate who seized an opportunity at turn 1 to overtake the Red Bull driver.
As the two drivers battled for position, their cars collided into a wall, prompting a safety car to conclude the race. Despite F1 stewards deciding not to penalise Sainz and Perez, the crash also affected Hulkenberg.
The Haas driver grazed the wall himself and dealt with debris from the crash, which enabled his teammate Oliver Bearman to snatch his 10th-place finish. In the aftermath, Kravitz spotted a bemused Hulkenberg rushing to leave the circuit
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“To say that Niko Hulkenberg is a little bit miffed is an understatement,” Kravitz reported on Sky Sports. “I saw Hulkenberg leaving the circuit quite early, with sunglasses on and a very nice green t-shirt. I thought, ‘That’s a bit odd, why is Hulkenberg leaving before, what clearly would have been, the debriefs?’
"And now, I know why, because he was so annoyed with himself - probably not with Ollie Bearman because he was just racing, doing what he needed to do - that he lost a point. So, while I feel very sorry for Niko Hulkenberg, who finished 11th, you've got to say well done and good opportunist move from Ollie Bearman to nick the final point for Hass F1."
Bearman, 19, made his F1 debut for Ferrari earlier this year, claiming seventh place in Saudi Arabia. The young driver has since landed a full-time seat with Haas for the upcoming season but got an early start with the team in Baku due to Kevin Magnussen's one-race suspension, impressively scoring points again after capitalising on Hulkenberg's errors.
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With two top 10 finishes, Bearman has accumulated seven points, placing him 16th in the drivers' standings. Despite this, the teenager was not quick to celebrate his latest race result, having gained two spots following the crash involving Sainz and Perez.
"Yeah, I got a point but maybe not fully deserved," Bearman confessed. "It was a tough race out there. I was a little bit cautious on my first stint and lost the pack a little bit. [It was a] bit difficult."
“Second stint was much better, I just got stuck a few times in traffic and every time I was trying to overtake, I was losing a bit of grip from the tyres overheating. It took me a few laps to recover again but whenever I had clean air I was able to have good pace, but clean air is not easy to come by round here.”
Bearman is set to return to his reserve driver role for Haas at this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix, with Magnussen scheduled to return from his suspension. Meanwhile, Hulkenberg, currently 11th in the driver standings, will be looking to bounce back from his Baku errors, with Haas holding the seventh spot in the constructor rankings.
