Haas ends the 2025 season with mixed emotions
Haas concluded the 2025 Formula 1 season with signs of progress, but also with a touch of regret. At the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the American team showed competitive pace, yet the final race ended below expectations due to a post-race penalty handed to Oliver Bearman. Meanwhile, Esteban Ocon delivered a strong performance, offering a breath of fresh air after an extremely challenging season and boosting confidence ahead of 2026. Haas finished the Constructors’ Championship in eighth place with 79 points, falling short of surpassing Aston Martin, but confirming a steady upward trend in the second half of the season, marking their second-highest points tally in F1 history.
Ocon’s P7 carries more weight than points alone
Starting eighth on the grid with medium tires, Esteban Ocon managed a well-paced and carefully executed race. The Frenchman held ninth on the opening lap, extended his first stint, and pitted on lap 18 to switch to hard tires. Navigating traffic, Ocon maximized the performance of the VF-25 and tire management, climbing steadily to finish seventh, successfully defending his position from Lewis Hamilton.
The result carries significant value, particularly considering Ocon’s challenging period from Monza to Qatar, where internal competition with Bearman was intense. In Abu Dhabi, Ocon regained rhythm, confidence, and competitiveness, delivering one of his season’s strongest performances: “I’m very happy to close the year like this,” Esteban Ocon said. “However, there’s a bittersweet feeling, because in the last ten races we should have been as strong as we were today, and it hurts to have missed seventh in the Constructors’ Championship. We didn’t beat Aston Martin, but we could have scored more points earlier.”
Ocon also commented on his battle with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, whom he kept behind until the checkered flag: “It’s not the first time this has happened. We fought in Las Vegas too, and it’s always great to race Lewis. In a normal race, he would have finished ahead of us. His comeback shows his talent.”
His duel with former Alpine teammate Fernando Alonso was another highlight. The Spaniard cleverly managed the fight by slowing in the final sector while accelerating on the preceding straights: “Fernando managed the tightest part of the track incredibly. We were all stuck behind him, then he pushed hard in the next four corners, creating a gap that prevented us from attacking. He knows all the tricks of the trade, and it’s frustrating, but incredible. He’s a legend in wheel-to-wheel racing.”
Bearman: “I really don’t understand the penalty”
For Oliver Bearman, the season ended on a sour note. The British rookie drove a consistent race, staying around the top 10 and crossing the finish line in the points. However, a five-second penalty for more than one change of direction during a duel with Lance Stroll at turn 9 dropped him to twelfth. In addition, Bearman received a superlicense point, bringing his total to ten out of twelve, leaving little margin for error since none of these points expire before May 2026.
Bearman expressed his confusion: “It felt like a very strange penalty. I ‘broke’ the slipstream once, which the regulations allow, and then I simply defended the inside line. I don’t understand why it was interpreted as more than one change of direction.” Onboard footage shows Bearman moving right to block Stroll’s slipstream, then left to cover the inside approaching turn 9. Slight additional movements just before the corner led stewards to penalize him, though with some doubt. Ollie Bearman added, “I need to review the incident, but I’m as confused as you. Some decisions we need to understand better, because I really don’t know why it was taken.”
Despite the setback, Bearman looked at the bigger picture: “We’ve built a very solid foundation this year. Now I can’t wait for the winter break.”
Komatsu: “Proud of the team, we’ve made great progress”
Team Principal Ayao Komatsu expressed satisfaction with Haas’ performance while acknowledging the disappointment of missing their goal: “We hoped to finish with both cars in the points, and we did until Ollie’s penalty, which I found very harsh. Finishing P7 and P9 on track from P8 and P11 is excellent work.”
Komatsu also highlighted the pressure during the race: “There was immense tension for seventh in the championship, but everyone remained calm. Pit stops were very good, and I knew we would finish strongly.”
Reflecting on the season overall, he added: “The championship isn’t decided in a single race. This year’s competition was much closer, but we scored points in six of the last seven races. We’ve improved the car for two consecutive years and ended strongly: this gives us great confidence for the future. We should be proud. This result is the fruit of everyone’s work.”
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