Formula 1 Japanese GP

Haas "doesn't see the ceiling" with impressive Oliver Bearman

Haas team boss Ayao Komatsu has been impressed with Oliver Barman's outstanding start to the 2026 Formula 1 season

Filip Cleeren Jake Boxall-Legge

Published: Apr 5, 2026, 1:57 PM

Copy link

Share on Viber

Add as a preferred source

Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

Haas F1 team principal Ayao Komatsu says he "doesn't see the ceiling" with Oliver Bearman as the British youngster propelled his team to an early fourth position in the constructors' standings.

Bearman was one of the standout rookies of the 2025 class, showing a vast rate of improvement after an up-and-down start with a more assured and consistent second half of the year, with fourth place in Mexico as his best result.

The 20-year-old picked up where he left off in 2026 so far, scoring 17 of Haas's 18 points courtesy of a seventh-place finish in Australia and fifth in China, followed by a frightful accident at the Japanese Grand Prix when he was caught out by the huge closing speeds with Alpine's Franco Colapinto.Bearman is also up on veteran team-mate Esteban Ocon in qualifying so far, leading 3-1 across the first three races as well as China's sprint qualifying session.

Speaking on the eve of the Japanese GP weekend, Haas team boss Komatsu said he had set the bar ever higher for Bearman after his solid debut campaign, but the Ferrari loanee's ceiling doesn't appear to be in sight just yet.

"Extremely impressive," Komatsu said. "But again, to be fair we set a very high bar for Ollie, right? Because every time he improves."

Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

While Bearman's raw speed was never in doubt, Komatsu says the F1 sophomore is now becoming a more rounded package as a grand prix driver, which includes the rate at which he absorbs information and works with the team both trackside and in the factory.

"The way he can learn and improve so quickly is part of what makes him amazing. He always has this amazing speed. There's no doubt from day one. But I think the reason why I'm so excited is that I don't see the ceiling with him.

"Mexico last year was unbelievable. And the way he's been conducting himself throughout pre-season testing with brand-new regulations, working with the team, simulator and away from the track, has been really good.

"If you look at those two race weekends [in Melbourne and Shanghai], I would say faultless. Brilliant. And then the attitude, how he works with the engineers, execution... so, yeah, very, very pleased."

We want your opinion!

What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?

Take our 5 minute survey.

- The Motorsport.com Team

Read and post comments

Share Or Save This Story

Copy link

Share on Viber

Previous article Fernando Alonso shares touching gift from F1 after birth of son

Next article Kimi Antonelli enjoys Easter break at Valentino Rossi’s VR46 ranch

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

View More & Comment

Latest news

Final NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Homestead finale

NASCAR Cup

NAS NASCAR Cup

Homestead-Miami

2 h

Final NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Homestead finale

Official race results: NASCAR Cup Homestead season finale

NASCAR Cup

NAS NASCAR Cup

Homestead-Miami

3 h

Official race results: NASCAR Cup Homestead season finale

Ryan Blaney wins Homestead NASCAR Cup finale as Kyle Larson claims 2026 title

NASCAR Cup

NAS NASCAR Cup

Homestead-Miami

3 h

Ryan Blaney wins Homestead NASCAR Cup finale as Kyle Larson claims 2026 title

Winners and losers from F1's chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix

Formula 1

F1 Formula 1

Sao Paulo GP

4 h

Winners and losers from F1's chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix

Feature

Discover prime content

How Lando Norris prevailed in a swift errors tour of Interlagos

Formula 1

Sao Paulo GP

By Stuart Codling

How Lando Norris prevailed in a swift errors tour of Interlagos

"He really wanted it" – why Russell was furious over aborted Brazil ‘pole’ lap

Formula 1

Sao Paulo GP

By Stuart Codling

"He really wanted it" – why Russell was furious over aborted Brazil ‘pole’ lap

What we learned from Friday practice at the 2026 Brazilian GP

Formula 1

Sao Paulo GP

By Jake Boxall-Legge

What we learned from Friday practice at the 2026 Brazilian GP

How F1’s rules got to be so complex

Formula 1

By Pat Symonds

How F1’s rules got to be so complex

Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.

From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.

You have 2 options:

Become a subscriber.
Disable your adblocker.

Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here

Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page

Manage Alerts