The American team is targeting a stronger showing in Montreal with major VF-26 updates, while Oliver Bearman continues to emerge as one of Formula 1’s most promising young drivers
Haas looking ahead to Canada after frustrating Miami weekend
Haas left the Miami Grand Prix empty-handed, with no championship points to show for a difficult weekend and several fresh performance questions surrounding the VF-26.
In the first race following Formula 1’s lengthy April break, Ayao Komatsu’s team failed to reproduce the encouraging level of competitiveness seen during the opening rounds of the 2026 season. While Haas struggled to break into the top ten, Alpine emerged as the strongest midfield team, capitalizing with points thanks to Franco Colapinto.
Now, attention inside the Haas garage has shifted firmly toward the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, a potentially decisive weekend for the American outfit as the team prepares to introduce its first significant technical upgrade package of the season.
One of the major positives in the present, however, remains the continued rise of Oliver Bearman, who has reflected on his personal development, rookie-season growth, and long-term ambitions in comments shared through the team’s official channels.
Haas expecting upgrades in Canada: “We knew Miami would be difficult”
Haas finished Miami in 11th and 13th positions after a weekend where the top ten rarely looked realistically within reach—quite a contrast to the opening three races of the 2026 Formula 1 campaign.
After the race, both drivers pointed to a lack of race pace, especially compared to direct midfield rival Alpine.
Esteban Ocon admitted after the race that the team had initially been competitive, but performance dropped significantly after the switch from medium to hard tyres. He explained that maintaining strong pace became increasingly difficult, with tyre degradation escalating whenever the team attempted to push harder.
Oliver Bearman offered a similar assessment, suggesting the difficult weekend was not entirely unexpected given Haas had arrived in Miami without new developments.
“Perhaps we should have expected a more challenging weekend, considering we didn’t bring upgrades. Hopefully we’ll be stronger with the developments we’ll introduce at the next race in Montreal,” he said.
Team principal Ayao Komatsu echoed that view.
“It was a difficult weekend, but we knew that based on our upgrade strategy,” he explained. “Even so, we got close to the top ten and nearly made it happen, so there are still positives to take away.”
That makes Montreal especially important, as the VF-26’s first true evolution package is set to debut there. Komatsu had already hinted after the Sprint weekend that Haas still has untapped performance within its current package, independent of the incoming upgrades.
“There are still things we don’t fully understand about this car, regardless of the upgrades, so I believe there’s still a lot to unlock,” he said. Following Sunday’s race, he reinforced that idea, suggesting Miami had provided useful clues about areas where the team needs to improve both operationally and in understanding the car’s behaviour before arriving in Canada.
Komatsu also made it clear he is eager to see the new package in action immediately, especially with Montreal hosting another Sprint weekend—the third Sprint event of the 2026 season—meaning teams will have very limited setup time.
Oliver Bearman reflects on his growth and long-term Formula 1 ambitions
One of Haas’ standout stories this season has undoubtedly been Oliver Bearman.
After showing steady promise during 2025, his rookie Formula 1 campaign, the Ferrari Driver Academy graduate has started 2026 in highly impressive fashion, quickly establishing himself as one of the midfield’s most exciting young talents.
Speaking in a video released through Haas’ official channels, Oliver Bearman reflected on how much he has matured since stepping up from Formula 2: “The transition from F2 to Formula 1 has helped me mature a lot,” he said. “I went from a team with around 20 people at the track to one with at least three times that number, plus another 400 people back at the factory.”
The jump into Formula 1, he explained, also brought entirely new responsibilities: “The developments we bring to the car come directly from what we drivers say. It’s not necessarily a huge burden, but you need to understand your role, because I’d never had that responsibility before, and it’s not something you automatically adapt to overnight.”
Oliver Bearman believes he has handled that evolution well, becoming more confident and far more willing to express his views within the team environment.
“I’m now a more outgoing person, less afraid to share my opinion and make my voice heard,” he said. “It’s difficult to feel valued immediately. When you arrive as a very young driver, you naturally have to earn that respect.”
That development is already visible in the results. Oliver Bearman has scored 17 points in the opening phase of the season, compared to just one for teammate Esteban Ocon, underlining his growing influence within the team. With Formula 1 entering a new technical era, Bearman also sees the changing regulations as a major learning opportunity.
“This is my first regulation change, while some of my rivals have already experienced two, three, or even four. It’s completely new for me, which excites me because it’s a huge learning opportunity.”
The British driver believes the unpredictability of the new era could create opportunities for Haas to make an impact: “With the field this tight and the fluctuations we’ve already seen in the opening races, I think we have a chance to make our mark and do something special.”
And his long-term ambition remains crystal clear: “In my life, I want to become world champion. Right now, I’m building the foundations to achieve that one day. I want to take another step toward that dream, and the only way to do it is by improving my consistency, my communication with the team, and becoming a more complete driver.”
For Oliver Bearman, simply targeting a sixth-place finish is not enough.
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