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Oliver Bearman relishing 'never before' F1 challenge after 'hell' breakthrough

Oliver Bearman has described his excitement at being able to develop an F1 car from scratch for the first time after making a "hell" breakthrough in Barcelona. The Haas driver logged 106 laps on the final day of the test, to go with the 85 from team-mate Esteban Ocon as the team overcame some reliability woes on Wednesday to end the first test strongly. For Bearman, 2026 marks the first time in his career he has undergone a regulation change in the formula he is driving, having risen through the spec junior categories before making his full-time debut in the final year of the ground effect design. Recounting his week, the Ferrari-backed Briton described his excitement at being able to tackle the rule changes after making a sizeable breakthrough in his understanding during the shakedown. "We had the issues on Wednesday at the end, they weren't big problems, they were all ones we could understand, but they just took a while to fix," Bearman explained. "Luckily, we were able to get back in the car [on Friday], and have a very clean programme, and I learned a hell of a lot about the car. "We have so many quality laps now that we have the data, which, compared to Wednesday, was very interrupted and not very high on quality. "I've got some vast impressions on what I like about the car, what I dislike about the car in terms of its balance. "It's the biggest change in the history of F1, so it's nice to be involved in that, and to be at the front of that alongside Esteban, leading the way in terms of how we're going to develop the car, and how we're going to change things. "I've never had that opportunity before. I've gone from spec series in F4, F3, and then F2, and last year, Formula 1 was essentially a carryover of the previous years. There was no change in regulations. "But this big change is fantastic, and I really feel like, as drivers, we can get stuck in and make a difference."

racingnews365.com·Jan 28

Oliver Bearman reveals 'lot longer' Haas issue due to 2026 F1 intricacy

Oliver Bearman has explained that the "more intricate details" of the new 2026 F1 cars proved to be a thorn in his side on his first day of pre-season testing with Haas. On Monday, at the start of the five-day private test at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya, Esteban Ocon delivered a heroic display for the team, pounding out 154 laps, more than twice a race distance. Unfortunately for Bearman, he encountered a problem early on the third day that consigned him to the garage for a lengthy period before returning just before the lunch break. Overall, Bearman managed just 21 laps in the morning session. Bearman has indicated that the problem was power-unit related, one that would have been solved quickly last season. However, with the change to the system for this year, with the axing of the MGU-H and a switch to a 50-50 split between combustion and electrical, issues are now far more tricky to diagnose and correct. "Unfortunately, we had a small issue, but that's what this [testing] is all about," said Bearman. "We expect to have these issues. "Everybody's learning the car and the new bits and procedures. So the problem we had, which would have taken maybe 30 minutes with last year's car, since everybody knew it so well, took a lot longer. "It's just because there are a few more intricate details, and there's just so much more to the power unit compared to what we've been used to." Bearman, who returned to the cockpit of the VF-26 in the afternoon session, feels Haas should at least be proud of delivering on track so far, including a successful shakedown last week at Fiorano ahead of Ocon's mammoth Monday stint. "First of all, to be out at the shakedown, and to be out at this test and do a whole day, we completed more than two race distances, closer to three, actually, with no major issues," he said. "It's super, super impressive for our team, and I think everybody should be really proud of that achievement. "Of course, we're setting our targets high. We want to continue to learn about this car. Every lap is a learning experience for us at this stage, but it's good fun as well. "It's my first time being in this situation, with a regulation change, where, as drivers, we can have so much impact on the end result, so it's a great prospect."