Incoming Haas Formulation 1 driver Ollie Bearman has already made vital impressions on the American squad regarding his “maturity” and “capability to know the larger image”.
That is the view of group principal Ayao Komatsu, who has signed Bearman to race alongside Esteban Ocon in an all-new 2025 Haas driver line-up.
Ferrari junior Bearman, who has been impressing Haas since he made a rookie follow look in Mexico final yr, was in a position to present how he may deal with the varied pressures of contesting a race weekend for a midfield group concerned in an in depth championship battle [with RB] throughout his newest one-off race this yr instead of the banned Kevin Magnussen in Azerbaijan.
Having completed seventh for Ferrari whereas changing the appendicitis-addled Carlos Sainz in Saudi Arabia at first of the season, Bearman scored one other level with tenth in Baku.
When requested by Motorsport.com if he had been shocked by this return given Formulation 2 driver Bearman’s lack of expertise on the prime degree, Komatsu insisted: “I am not shocked.
“However this isn’t to take something away from Ollie. I am not shocked as a result of I’ve seen a lot good things with him within the FP1s that that is what I anticipated.
“The very first time he drove for us in Mexico FP1 – what actually impressed me was his capability to know the larger image – perceive the function he must play, what he must execute [and] when. And in addition how rapidly he can be taught.
Oliver Bearman, Haas VF-24
Picture by: Dom Romney / Motorsport Pictures
“For Baku, the target was very completely different. [It’s a] completely completely different mindset throughout the entire race weekend [compared to just practice outings], however by way of what he did – what he executed, how rapidly he discovered – that is every thing I noticed in from Mexico the very first time we ran him in FP1.
“Yeah, after all, FP3 [where Bearman crashed on his first push lap in Baku] was a setback.
“In order that’s one factor I did not know – how he was going to take care of the setback like that.
“However then once more, he was actually good, managed to then change and be centered, return to what he’d carried out effectively on Friday, after which hit the Q1 like that. In order that was sensible.
“It is spectacular. However that is what I anticipated.”
Komatsu additionally hailed Bearman’s “maturity” when requested to swap positions with momentary team-mate Nico Hulkenberg in the course of the first Baku race stint – because the Briton was lapping too slowly obeying Haas’s directions on tyre administration, when Hulkenberg was displaying the tyres may maintain a shock more durable tempo on the tough road circuit.
“What he confirmed within the race after we needed to ask swap positions in the course of the first stint, after which… he wasn’t completely happy,” Komatsu added. “Which I can completely perceive why.
Oliver Bearman, Haas VF-24, Nico Hulkenberg, Haas VF-24
Picture by: Dom Romney / Motorsport Pictures
“However then, though he was sad about it, he simply did it.
“He did not then not let Nico by, after which delayed it for one more lap or two. So once more, that simply reveals the maturity, proper? It is nice.
Bearman’s Baku level got here after he nipped previous Hulkenberg within the aftermath of Sainz and Sergio Perez crashing late on – the place the lead Haas driver didn’t react to a inexperienced flag marker board after passing the incident and hitting particles, when the next Lewis Hamilton did.
Bearman following the Mercedes previous Hulkenberg confirmed his “consciousness and tranquility”, per Komatsu.
“That is one other factor – he is all the time calm, even when he is upset or dealing with the adversity.
“He is simply very calm, and even that yellow flag scenario in direction of the tip of the race with the massive accident, a number of particles – however once more he was calm.
“He had a presence of thoughts to say, ‘OK, Nico’s not on it’ [and] simply went.”
