Haas Team Principal Praises Rookie Driver Oliver Bearman

Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu has lauded the maturity demonstrated by Formula 1 rookie Oliver Bearman, both on and off the track, following his top 10 finish in Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix.

Rookie Seals a Point at Suzuka

After being promoted into the points in China due to disqualifications of Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, and Pierre Gasly, Bearman scored his first point on his own merit at Suzuka. Qualifying in 10th position, he managed to maintain his starting spot during the race.

Both Bearman and Komatsu were surprised that the young driver even made it past Q1, let alone reaching the top 10 shootout. The achievement was even more impressive given Haas arrived in Japan with an untested floor upgrade.

Bearman Outperforms More Experienced Teammate

In contrast to his more experienced teammate Esteban Ocon, who struggled with the new upgrade, Bearman made it work. Komatsu was not surprised by the youngster’s ability to provide crucial information back to the team.

We knew that from last year, this is a big part of the reason why we signed Ollie,” he said. “We started working with him in Mexico ’23 when he was 18. He was impressive straight away in that regard, and then last year, every time we worked with him, his feedback was accurate, he understood the program, he understood the objectives.

Komatsu emphasized that Bearman’s abilities extend beyond just driving fast. “He really is able to digest or understand what’s required of him and then execute the program,” he said. “So it’s great, but we’re not surprised. I’m not surprised because we knew how much potential he had.

Haas Takes a Step Forward in Performance

While Haas clearly took a significant step forward in terms of performance, Komatsu admitted it was a “risk” to bring the new floor to Japan. However, the fact that it ultimately proved a worthwhile risk will not lead to similar chances being taken with future updates to the car.

It’s not hard, because we’re pretty clear,” he said on the challenge of being restrained with other upgrades. “Obviously depending on the size of the issue.” He added that the success of the upgrade in Japan took some pressure off, but future development will not involve shortcuts.

Photos from Japanese GP – Race

[Insert photos from the race]