Bearman shocked by confidence change since Haas upgrade at F1 British GP

Formula 1 rookie Oliver Bearman believes it is “crazy” how much his confidence has changed since Haas brought an upgrade to the British Grand Prix in July. 

The American outfit fitted a revised floor and sidepod inlets and they made an immediate impact as Bearman recorded his highest qualifying position of the year with eighth.

Although he eventually finished 11th on the Sunday, largely due to a 10-place grid drop for ignoring red flags in practice, next time out in Belgium he ended an eight-round long point-less streak.

Bearman did it by finishing seventh in the sprint race, also his starting position, and could have claimed further points in the grand prix had an engine issue and poor strategy not limited him to 11th. 

The 20-year-old nevertheless continued his fine form into Hungary, where he outqualified veteran team-mate Esteban Ocon - only for a mechanical failure to end Bearman’s race. 

Yet the improvement of the rookie across the last three race weekends is evident after a tough start to the year, with Bearman bottom of the drivers' standings out of those who contested the full season so far. 

Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

“I haven't found my confidence until we brought the Silverstone upgrade to the car,” said Bearman, who has eight points in 2025. “Since then, I've had a really good feeling, and I've been able to replicate that feeling - and that's crazy.

“You can't describe it, but you chase it, you chase it, you chase it and when you can have it, it's very special.”

So when asked if he thinks the upgrade is a “proper start” to his campaign, Bearman agreed that it was and is optimistic about what he can achieve across the final 10 weekends. 

“It's a car that I feel fully comfortable in,” he added. “Of course, I tried to feel as comfortable as possible in the previous car, but it's difficult when the balance is tough. Now we've managed to replicate that and from now, I think we can do a lot with this car.”

The aim for the rest of 2025 is therefore simple, with Bearman keen to continue his recent momentum and help ninth-placed Haas in a very tight midfield battle. 

“I hope we can replicate the feeling that I've had in the previous two races,” said Bearman, who is 19 points behind Ocon. 

Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team, Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

“In both qualifying and in the race, there's been a few shortcomings from both sides: Silverstone I had a penalty, Spa we simply missed out on opportunities.

“But clearly, the car has pace, so there is a lot of potential there. Step by step, we're going to improve and get better.

“I hope we can keep up this level of performance, and then I think we can score some good points going into the second half of the season.”