Formula 1 Japanese GP
Bearman has proven he’s not just a fast driver – Haas
Bearman has earned praise with his technical feedback following another strong outing at Suzuka
Mark Mann-Bryans
Edited: Apr 7, 2025, 3:36 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team
Photo by: Peter Fox / Getty Images
Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu has praised the maturity shown by Oliver Bearman both on and off the track after the Formula 1 rookie sealed a top 10 finish in Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix.
Having taken eighth in China following the disqualifications of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, Bearman scored a point in his own right at Suzuka, qualifying in 10th and finishing in the same position.
Both Bearman and Komatsu professed surprise at the 19-year-old even getting out of Q1, let alone making it all the way to the top 10 shootout.
The achievement was all the more impressive given Haas had arrived in Japan with an untested floor upgrade.
Bearman made it work where his more experienced team-mate Esteban Ocon struggled, and Komatsu insisted he was not surprised by the youngster’s ability to feed 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 programme, he understood the objectives.
“So it’s not just about driving fast; of course he can drive fast, but he really is able to, let's say, digest or understand what's required of him and then execute the programme. So it's great, but we're not surprised. I'm not surprised because we knew how much potential he had.
“For everyone to execute the race in that way and Ollie to drive in that way to get P10 was a really good reward. So it's just lots of work just to get one point. I'm very pleased that we managed to get something out of this weekend.
Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
“If you look at our competitiveness on Friday, it didn't look like we were getting out of Q1, so Friday night I was focusing, how can we get a bit more performance out of the car and driver, to get out of Q1. Then we tweaked a few things overnight, and then FP3 to qualifying, and then to get to Q3 was amazing.”
While Haas clearly took a big step forward in terms of performance, Komatsu did admit it was something of a “risk” to bring the new floor to Japan.
The fact it ultimately proved a risk worth taking, however, 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.
“The fact that this upgrade we brought here actually did what it's supposed to do it actually takes that pressure off, if you like. If this made no difference, and then we had to set up the car in a very non-performing window, then that might be more added pressure, ‘oh shit, haven't solved anything at all’.
“But still, we knew that in other areas, if we don't go through the diligent iterative process, we can get lost completely. So it was good that this worked, but no, no, for the future development, we won't be shortcutting.”
Photos from Japanese GP - Race
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday
Formula 1
76
Read Also:
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
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Alonso likens Suzuka to uneventful Monaco, amid overtaking drought
Next article Honda President reveals 2026 Aston Martin driver lineup input
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Mark Mann-Bryans
F1 driver market – Who is tied down for 2026?
Formula 1
Formula 1
F1 driver market – Who is tied down for 2026?
What’s next for sacked Red Bull boss Christian Horner?
Formula 1
Formula 1
What’s next for sacked Red Bull boss Christian Horner?
How Mercedes will help Kimi Antonelli recover from a run of tough F1 results
Formula 1
Formula 1
British GP
How Mercedes will help Kimi Antonelli recover from a run of tough F1 results
More from
Oliver Bearman
Charles Leclerc penalised for Liam Lawson clash; Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman also punished after F1 Brazilian GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
Charles Leclerc penalised for Liam Lawson clash; Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman also punished after F1 Brazilian GP
Ayao Komatsu: Esteban Ocon axing ‘surprised everybody at Haas’
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
Ayao Komatsu: Esteban Ocon axing ‘surprised everybody at Haas’
More from
Haas F1 Team
Haas justifies picking Rafael Camara over Ryo Hirakawa for F1 Brazilian GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
Haas justifies picking Rafael Camara over Ryo Hirakawa for F1 Brazilian GP
How raw talent Rafa Camara feels ahead of 'very surprising' F1 home debut in Brazil
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
How raw talent Rafa Camara feels ahead of 'very surprising' F1 home debut in Brazil
Latest news
The ten closest finishes from the 2026 NASCAR season
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup 2 h
The ten closest finishes from the 2026 NASCAR season
‘Lewis suspected a conspiracy’ – Nico Rosberg explains how Lewis Hamilton F1 rivalry went awry at Mercedes
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 2 h
‘Lewis suspected a conspiracy’ – Nico Rosberg explains how Lewis Hamilton F1 rivalry went awry at Mercedes
BMW "proud of what we achieved" after securing runner-up in 2026 WEC
WEC
WEC WEC
Monza
4 h
BMW "proud of what we achieved" after securing runner-up in 2026 WEC
The numbers that reveal how sprint races have turned the MotoGP title fight upside down
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Qatar GP
6 h
The numbers that reveal how sprint races have turned the MotoGP title fight upside down
Feature
Discover prime content
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Formula 1
By Kevin Turner
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
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
Subscribe