Having completed two events, Oliver Bearman holds the fifth position in the 2026 Formula 1 drivers’ standings, expressing satisfaction with the handling characteristics of his Haas VF-26 vehicle.
Although the season is still young, Bearman has stood out as a top contender, responsible for all 17 points accumulated by Haas up to this point, contrasting with his teammate Esteban Ocon’s less successful period.
Following his seventh-place finish in Melbourne, Bearman secured a point during the China sprint event, preceding his fifth-place finish in the Shanghai Grand Prix. This result came after a close call with Isack Hadjar on the initial lap; during their battle for track position, Hadjar’s car spun at Turn 13, causing Bearman to divert into the escape area.
Bearman believed that the negative impact of his setback and the loss of places was mitigated by the opportune deployment of the safety car, which placed him directly behind Pierre Gasly of Alpine, a driver he subsequently overtook to claim fifth.
Assessing the positive attributes of the Haas vehicle, Bearman perceives the VF-26 performs optimally during Sunday races, and anticipates Alpine will present a significant competitive threat throughout the season.
Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team
Photo by: Dom Gibbons / Formula 1 via Getty Images
Bearman remarked, “I believe our pace is stronger in race conditions currently. This appears to be true. Qualifying sessions have proven somewhat more demanding.”
“I’d acknowledge Pierre demonstrated exceptional speed [in China]. Even during the main race, notably in the final ten laps, he was closing in on me with remarkable swiftness.
There remains considerable effort required before the subsequent event. We must fine-tune certain aspects, yet I am genuinely pleased with the vehicle’s equilibrium and overall feel. Therefore, it serves as an excellent foundation, and we must continue its development.”
When contrasting Gasly’s Alpine with Bearman’s Haas during qualifying, an observation can be made that the Mercedes-engined Alpine achieves a marginally greater maximum velocity; conversely, the Ferrari power unit excels with its low-end torque due to a more compact turbo, though this compromises its high-speed output.
Throughout the grand prix, Bearman exhibited superior speed during the initial phase of their second hard-tyre stint, yet Gasly progressively improved his performance, achieving consistent faster lap times starting from lap 32.
Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team
Photo by: James Sutton / Formula 1 / Formula Motorsport Ltd via Getty Images
This implies the Alpine chassis has developed a favorable interaction with its tires during the concluding segment of a stint, and although both drivers maintained comparable speeds nearing the grand prix’s conclusion, it might have been anticipated that Gasly would pose a more formidable threat with additional laps remaining.
Concurrently, Ocon experienced less favorable circumstances regarding the safety car’s appearance, having commenced the race on hard compound tires; despite the Frenchman’s noticeably improved race performance compared to Australia, he forfeited potential points by attempting an aggressive maneuver on Franco Colapinto after the Argentinian driver had gained position post-pit stop.
Ocon speculated he could have achieved a result similar to Bearman’s, had the safety car deployment been more advantageous for his race plan, concurrently, team principal Ayao Komatsu disclosed that a problem during a pit stop led to Colapinto overtaking Ocon, which subsequently triggered their on-track encounter.
Komatsu remarked, “Esteban likewise performed exceptionally well in the race, however, he encountered misfortune during his pit stop, where an error occurred, placing him in an disadvantageous position.”
“Absent that issue, he too would have scored points. Achieving a double-points finish would have been ideal, yet we have demonstrated our capabilities, and that is our objective for the upcoming race in Japan.”
