Oliver Bearman sits fifth in the Formula 1 2026 drivers' standings after scoring all 17 of Haas's points from Melbourne and Shanghai. The driver highlighted the strong balance of the VF-26 chassis in race trim despite qualifying challenges. Teammate Esteban Ocon missed points due to a pitstop error.
After two races in the 2026 Formula 1 season, Oliver Bearman has impressed by finishing seventh in Melbourne and earning a point in the China sprint before placing fifth in the Shanghai Grand Prix. This performance accounts for Haas's entire 17-point haul, with teammate Esteban Ocon facing misfortune. Bearman noted a near-miss with Isack Hadjar on the opening lap at Turn 13, but a safety car positioned him behind Alpine's Pierre Gasly, whom he overtook for fifth place. Bearman stated: “I think we're quicker in race trim at the moment. It seems to be the case. Qualifying has been a bit more challenging.” He added: “I would say that Pierre had been incredibly fast [in China]. Even in the race, you know, the last 10 laps, he was coming at me incredibly quickly. There's still a lot of work to do before the next race. We need to optimise a few things, but I'm really happy with the balance of the car, the feeling of the car. So, it's a great baseline. We need to keep working on it.” The Haas VF-26, powered by Ferrari, shows strengths in low-end power but trails Alpine's Mercedes unit in top speed. Bearman was quicker early in the second hard tyre stint, though Gasly closed in later. Ocon started on hards and suffered from poor safety car timing and a team pitstop mistake that allowed Franco Colapinto to emerge ahead, leading to an incident. Team principal Ayao Komatsu said: “Esteban also had a very good race, but he was unlucky in his pit stop, where we had a mistake that put him in a position that he shouldn’t have been in. Without that, he would’ve been in the points as well. Double points would’ve been the icing on the cake, but we’ve shown what’s possible, and that’s what we’re going to aim for in Japan.”