The Essex driver had run a competitive race and was in strong contention for points before the Audi car crashed into the rear of his Haas, following a red flag.

The 21-year-old started the weekend on the back foot, but improved in time for qualifying where he, again, reached the second part of the session.

Around the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit, the Haas driver was gaining confidence until, on his final lap, he made a mistake heading into the stadium section.

The right-handed Turn 12 follows sweeping medium-speed corners that work the tyres hard.

Hence, the Haas driver entered the right-hander with less performance in his tyres than expected.

He was consigned to P15 but started a place higher due to Liam Lawson’s disqualification.

He told haasf1team.com, after the session: “I was on for a really nice lap but made a mistake in Turn 12. It’s a shame.”

On the first lap, the Haas driver gained two places, and he won another when he passed Gabriel Bortoleto’s Audi.

He swapped his soft compound tyres for mediums on lap 40 of 71, before the race was red flagged, due to a massive crash for Valtteri Bottas.

The Cadillac driver’s suspension broke during the heavy braking phase for the first corner, and the high-speed impact meant that barrier repairs were required.

During the lap 47 restart, of which Bearman took from P11, his race was ended after Nico Hulkenberg clipped the rear of his Haas, sending him into a spin and giving him race-ending damage.

And the frustrated Essex driver told haasf1team.com: “I just got smashed off. I was turning into Turn 4, and the next thing I knew, I was looking at everyone else coming past me, facing the wrong way.

“It was a good race to be honest, I had great pace, and we were in the fight for points, and I was in the points when I was taken out. It happens; it just sucks.”

At the chequered flag, Bearman’s former Formula 2 team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli, finished in third place and became the 2026 drivers’ champion, the youngest ever to do so at 20 years old.