The challenging conditions at the Brazilian Grand Prix were a tough test for all drivers, but especially for rookies with limited experience in Formula 1.

Among the drivers with fewer than 10 Grand Prix starts, only Liam Lawson had prior experience in wet conditions, having faced similar weather during the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix, where he struggled.

The difficulties began in qualifying, where numerous drivers had crashes on the wet track. Both Williams and Aston Martin drivers were involved in incidents at various sections, as was Carlos Sainz, who crashed at the exit of Senna S.

While both Franco Colapinto and Oliver Bearman were eliminated in Q1, Lawson managed to secure fifth on the grid.

During the race, Bearman spun after making contact with Colapinto on lap 4, for which he earned a penalty, and later had a 360-degree spin at Turn 7 on lap 36 while trying to chase Sainz. Lawson was spun around by Oscar Piastri in Turn 1 on lap 26, while Colapinto crashed out during safety car conditions as the rain intensified.

In terms of pace, the rookies were noticeably slower than their teammates in comparison. Albon was unable to start the race due to damage sustained in qualifying. “We pitted for intermediate tyres. It was undriveable,” said a disappointed Colapinto. “We were 15 seconds off the pace, and we had put on hot intermediates. We tried to keep the temps up, but I lost the car aggressively in a big river before the straight. At that point, I was just a passenger.”

Lawson admitted that he nearly suffered the same fate as Colapinto. “I nearly crashed the car probably 10 times,” he said. “It was very sketchy, but the key was staying on track, and thankfully, I managed to do that.”

Bearman, who was standing in for Kevin Magnussen, was very aware that his performance didn’t meet expectations. “To score points today, I needed to stay on track, and unfortunately, I didn’t,” said Bearman. “I made too many mistakes. It was tough, but I can learn from it. Wet races are rare in F1, so every lap was valuable.”

Bearman struggled mostly with his intermediate tyres, which made the high-speed corners unpredictable and affected his confidence. Ayao Komatsu, Haas team principal, acknowledged the challenging conditions for Bearman, attributing some of his struggles to the VF-24’s tendency to lock up the front wheels in wet conditions. “Ollie made too many mistakes, and he knows that,” Komatsu explained. “After the red flag, I told him, ‘Stay on the track. You’ve got pace, just calm down.’ He was pushing too hard at first but started improving after the safety car. Still, he couldn’t string together consistent laps, which comes with experience.”