F1 / NEWS & CONTEXT

Verstappen jokes as Bearman seeks wet-weather advice at Sepang

Oliver Bearman says rain at Sepang might bring his first substantial wet-tyre running of the year. Max Verstappen had a joking answer when Bearman asked for advice.

GPBeat · Newsroom01 Oct 2026, 18:37 · 1 min

Haas driver Oliver Bearman asked Max Verstappen and Nico Hülkenberg for advice about possible wet conditions at Sepang, where he has not raced before. Verstappen gave him a playful answer rather than a tyre recommendation: rain makes the track wet and slippery, and the choice between intermediate and full-wet tyres depends on how wet it gets. The exchange took place at a pre-race press conference reported by RacingNews365.

Bearman said the circuit could dry quickly after rain. He thought the weekend might bring the first substantial running of the year on intermediate and full-wet tyres, but was unsure how they would behave. He said he had heard unfavourable comments from people who had tested the rain tyres, while suggesting the heat might make them easier to use.

Sources 01

SOURCEVerstappen dolt met Bearman: "Als het regent, is het nat!"RacingNews365 Nederland · Source date as found: 2026-10-01

Source context

Lieke Jacobs reported the press-conference exchange and Bearman’s tyre comments for RacingNews365 on 1 October 2026.

Claims and supporting evidence 4

Lieke Jacobs reports for RacingNews365 that Haas driver Oliver Bearman, who had not previously raced at Sepang, asked Verstappen and Nico Hülkenberg for advice about possible wet conditions.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Press-conference context before the race at Sepang 2026-10-01, before the race weekend This is the account in the one supplied article, not an independently reviewed press-conference transcript.

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RacingNews365 describes Verstappen’s reply as a joke: he said rain makes the track wet and slippery, then answered Bearman’s question about intermediate or full-wet tyres by saying the choice depends on how wet it is. It was not a substantive tyre recommendation.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Verstappen–Bearman exchange Press conference reported on 2026-10-01 The supplied page gives the exchange in Dutch; the original-language wording has not been checked.

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Bearman said the track could dry quickly after rain. He expected the weekend might bring the drivers’ first substantial running of the year on intermediates and full wets, while saying he did not know how those tyres would perform. These were expectations, not completed running or test results.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Bearman’s expectations for wet-weather running Expectation for the race weekend following 2026-10-01 No subsequent weather, track-running or tyre-performance result is supplied.

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Bearman said he had heard unfavourable comments from people who had tested the rain tyres. He also said the heat might make them easier to use and that their behaviour remained an open question. His account does not establish a proven tyre defect.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Bearman’s second-hand comments about wet-weather tyres Press conference reported on 2026-10-01 The testers, their observations and test conditions are not identified in the supplied article.

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This article was produced with AI assistance. Source references make its supporting evidence traceable.