– Haas driver Oliver Bearman started the 2026 Formula 1 season strong with a seventh place in Australia and fifth place in China. But after the promising start came the slump: In the last nine races, the 21-year-old Brit only scored a single World Championship point at the Canadian Grand Prix.
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“I was very satisfied with our start to the season,” Bearman sums up before the summer break. “We had a really competitive car. Believe it or not: In the first races, we fought against Red Bull.”
In fact, the Haas driver even scored more points than Max Verstappen in the first three races of the season. “They didn’t get off to an outstanding start, but we did a really good job. The first two events went very well.”
“In addition, we mastered the challenges and nuances of the regulations very efficiently and had no problems with reliability or software at the start, so we scored a lot of points. It was a really good start.”
Bearman admits: “It gets frustrating at some point”
But little remains of the successful start to the season. “It has tapered off somewhat now. As a team, we haven’t scored any points since Canada,” Bearman admits. In fact, teammate Esteban Ocon managed another top-10 finish in Monaco, but for Bearman himself, Canada remains the last success so far.
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In Montreal, new parts on the VF-26 did not bring the hoped-for progress. “There we introduced our last upgrade package, but it didn’t quite give the car the performance boost that the competition was able to achieve.”
At the start of the season, Haas was still on par with Audi, Racing Bulls, and Alpine, but the balance of power has since shifted. “All these teams have made a significant step forward,” admits the Brit. “The time since Canada has been really long.”
Bearman does not see himself or the team as the main problem. “From my point of view, we did a good job in implementation. We got the maximum out of the car, and I got the maximum out of myself. But if the maximum only means 14th, 13th, or 12th place, it gets frustrating at some point.”
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Haas is currently not fighting for points
At least the internal team comparison clearly favors the Brit: While Bearman has already collected 18 World Championship points, Esteban Ocon stands at just three. Nevertheless, the Haas driver describes the current situation as complicated.
“The situation in our team is difficult,” explains Bearman. “We have talked a lot about it, but the fluctuations in our material were quite large. I have experienced both the negative and positive sides; however, it is a shame because it means you are constantly chasing a moving target.”
Especially the unpredictability of the VF-26 is worrying. “Overnight, the car balance can change without us expecting it,” Bearman refers to the current challenges. “Ultimately, the fight we are fighting is not always fair, and sometimes we feel like we have to compete while our hands are almost tied behind our backs.”
Despite the difficult circumstances, the 21-year-old sees his personal development positively. “Of course, I feel like I am driving at a very high level, and I see a clear improvement in my performance compared to twelve months ago or even the start of the season. I can’t do more. At the moment, we are not fighting for points.”
Bearman hopes for “somewhat more successful” times
Instead of fighting for World Championship points, it is currently mainly about getting the maximum out of the available opportunities. “We are not fighting for much more than getting the best out of ourselves and learning as much as possible during this difficult phase – hoping that we will soon have the necessary performance to implement this and score points.”
“It has been a challenge for us,” Bearman admits before the summer break, having made the best of the current situation. “I am satisfied with my performance, but the whole story cannot necessarily be summed up in a headline.”
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The Haas driver has not lost faith in a turnaround. “We are eagerly awaiting the next performance boost for the car, which hopefully will come soon and make the second half of the season somewhat more successful.”
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