Oliver Bearman, the lead driver for the Haas F1 team, praised the collaboration with Ferrari in his process of learning and adapting within the Formula 1 championship. According to Bearman, Ferrari has proven to be very open and helpful, providing valuable information about their deployment strategy.
Commenting on the performance differences between Haas and Ferrari, Bearman pointed out that his team is in a very different situation compared to other teams like McLaren and Mercedes. “There is a big difference between our cars and they seem to have a significant advantage in qualifying sessions,” he expressed. In fact, the speed achieved by Ferrari during the last practice session nearly translated into Haas’s qualifying time.
Bearman explained that as the lap time increases, energy needs change considerably. He detailed the importance of adapting strategy based on previous experiences obtained, like those they acquired during the Australian Grand Prix, where they identified the differences in racing line and speed compared to Ferrari.
Regarding Haas’s expectations for the upcoming Shanghai Grand Prix, Bearman indicated that the team will focus on maximizing their chances during the qualifying session and the main race. He acknowledged that the top four teams –Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull, and McLaren– seem to be competing in another category, and only the top eight score points in the sprint race.
Finally, Bearman stated that Haas’s priority is to prepare adequately, supporting good performance in both qualifying and the race, as he considers that analyses of previous races can be crucial for improving their future performance.
