(Motorsport-Total.com) – The 2026 championship standings feature quite a big surprise behind the top 4. Behind the previously strong Mercedes and Ferrari, it’s not world champion Lando Norris or Max Verstappen in fifth place, but Oliver Bearman in the Haas.
Read more Team Principal in Focus: Why Aston Martin’s Problem Runs Deeper
The Brit has already collected 17 points over two weekends and has single-handedly ensured that Haas is currently in fourth place in the constructors’ championship – his teammate Esteban Ocon, on the other hand, has not yet contributed any points.
“It was a good start,” laughs Bearman, who finished seventh in Australia, eighth in the Shanghai sprint and then even fifth in the race. “I’m really happy with that.”
He praises: “The car was reliable, and the car was also really fast, so we were able to collect some good points.” But the Brit is aware that some teams like McLaren or Red Bull still have problems, so it’s important for him right now to score points before the competition catches up again.
Because he’s also clear on one thing: “I don’t expect to stay in fifth place.”
Currently, Bearman is something of a shooting star of the season – it’s hardly surprising that he is therefore considered a future Ferrari driver, especially since he was also promoted by the Scuderia as a Ferrari junior. At engine partner Haas, he was allowed to make his debut as a full-time driver in 2025 and was able to beat his experienced teammate there as well.
For team principal Ayao Komatsu, Bearman is a stroke of luck. He is particularly impressed by how much the youngster has improved since his debut: “He basically makes a jump every time,” he praises. “His basic speed was never in question. Then towards the end of last year you saw the improvement in consistency.”
Read more Cadillac’s momentum: «For the first time ever, no problems at all!»
The reward was, among other things, a fourth place in Mexico, which underlined Bearman’s talent. “After that, throughout the entire pre-season tests, the collaboration with the engineers and mechanics, the feedback and the overall quality improved,” Komatsu continues to praise. “And when you look at the first two races, he made hardly any mistakes.”
“It’s simply the way he absorbs information and understands the big picture; he can articulate it, process it and implement it,” he continues. “He brings all those qualities that you need to be a top driver.”
What is also important for Komatsu: Bearman also brings a positive attitude that drives his entire environment in the team. “Even when there are less than ideal situations, he handles them in such a way that he doesn’t bring people down, but on the contrary motivates them to solve the problem faster. That’s a natural talent of his,” says Komatsu.
“We’re already enjoying working with him very much and at the moment I don’t see any limit upwards – that’s the exciting part.”
Read more «Nice to get one back»: Toto Wolff reacts to Kimi Antonelli’s critics