Oliver Bearman produced a memorable weekend for Haas, securing a double points finish across both the Sprint and the main race on Sunday. The British driver continues to impress, with his early-season tally now standing at a remarkable 17-0 against teammate Esteban Ocon. At the same time, the VF-26 is confirming itself as a car particularly strong in race conditions.
Seventeen to zero. That is the striking scoreline recorded by Oliver Bearman at the start of the season, as he embarks on only his second year in Formula 1, against teammate Esteban Ocon, a race winner and far more experienced driver.
Points in the Sprint—where only the top eight finishers are rewarded—and an outstanding top-five finish in Sunday’s race. The classic “best of the rest” result, but Bearman delivered far more than that. Taking advantage of the absence of the McLarens, which did not even start, Oliver fought throughout the race with the Red Bulls, including Max Verstappen.
Following the retirement of the four-time world champion, Bearman then had to manage the charge of a very aggressive Pierre Gasly. However, he still managed to finish in a position that had seemed completely out of reach at the start of the race, especially after a last-second maneuver to avoid contact with Isack Hadjar—an incident that could have been truly catastrophic.
“I was really, really lucky, to be honest, to avoid it. I mean, I’m lucky to be standing here. Honestly, it would have been a massive crash. It was a really tricky corner all race with the wind today. The car balance was completely unstable, I think for everyone. Well, I hope for everyone, because for me it was really tough. And I saw with Isack that we were pushing hard and, to be honest, it looked like the corner was done and then the next thing I know he’s sideways and I’m trying to avoid him in a split second.”
“I went to the left, I had to go off track to avoid him and I found myself last again. So, in both of my races this year, Australia and China, I basically ended up last after the first lap. But we are improving and the race was fantastic after that.”
After rejoining the track having lost several positions, the British driver—who rose through the Ferrari Driver Academy—began a relentless comeback, helped by the strong pace of the impressive VF-26. The timing of the Safety Car and a perfectly executed strategy did the rest, bringing him back into contention and ultimately enabling his final result.
“Yes, I made some overtakes on track. You know, I was faster than the Red Bulls and at that point I was also faster than the Audi. It was strong and the car felt great. Then we had perfect timing with the Safety Car. But I think the bad luck on the first lap was, in a way, compensated by the great timing of the Safety Car.”
“Basically, after all that, I was back to where I started. You know, I was right behind Pierre, which is where I was halfway through lap one before all that chaos. So it was great. Yeah, then the pace was really, really strong afterwards. I managed to get out of traffic and then, honestly, I was doing like 40 qualifying laps, which was pretty fun.”
Speaking about his car, Oliver emphasized that the VF-26 is particularly competitive in race trim, echoing a trend also seen with the SF-26. Ferrari appears stronger in race conditions than in qualifying, and Haas seems to share the same characteristic.
“I think at the moment we are quicker in race configuration. It seems to be the case. Qualifying was a bit more difficult. I would say Pierre was incredibly quick this weekend. Even in the race, you know, in the last ten laps he was catching me very quickly. So there is still a lot of work to do before the next race. We need to optimize some things, but I am really happy with the balance of the car and the feeling it gives. It’s a great starting point. We need to keep working on it.”
The young driver’s ability to maintain “qualifying pace” for nearly the entire race distance suggests that the VF-26 has found a sweet spot in its aerodynamic efficiency. With Japan and Miami rounds up next and the European leg of the season approaching, Ollie Bearman and Haas look poised to remain a consistent threat for heavy points, provided they can sharpen their Saturday performance to match their Sunday strength.
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