Oliver Bearman, driver for the Haas F1 team, has expressed that his 2026 Formula 1 car is showing signs of performance limitation, following the latest United States Grand Prix. Despite a promising start during the free practice sessions at the Circuit of the Americas, where he achieved 11th and 10th positions, he ended up qualifying only in 16th place.
Bearman explained that his team has achieved a good initial setup, but as the remaining sessions progressed, the improvements that the competitors introduced left them behind. “We are getting the most out of the car from the start. The truth is that we haven’t modified the setup much during the weekend,” he stated.
The problems mainly arise from a lack of downforce, which has affected the performance of the VF-26 during qualifying and the race. “We feel that the car has a good balance, but we cannot compete with the others due to the lack of downforce,” Bearman commented.
Since the last substantial update, which dates back to the Italian Grand Prix, Haas has not introduced any significant new improvements, which has contributed to maintaining the gap with rival teams. “Other teams have achieved several updates and we have not,” he added, acknowledging the frustration this causes. “We simply cannot keep up the pace, and it is disheartening to see it,” he concluded.
His teammate, Esteban Ocon, shared similar views, noting that he struggled with inconsistency in the brakes, citing that it is a well-rooted issue in the car’s behavior. “When I go to the limit, I feel that I have to anticipate the braking with a considerable difference,” Ocon explained, who also finished in 14th place during the test.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
