Oliver Bearman has arrived for his first Belgian Grand Prix as a Formula 1 driver in high spirits, as the Haas rookie tries to end his run of eight rounds without scoring a point.
The 20-year-old enjoyed a solid start to his first season as a full-time F1 driver with points in three of his first four Grands Prix. But since Bearman took P8 in China, P10 in Japan and P10 in Bahrain, the Briton has slipped from 11th place into 18th in the F1 drivers’ championship.
Haas have also fallen from fifth in the constructors’ standings after the Bahrain Grand Prix to ninth ahead of this week’s Belgian GP, where there will also be the third of the six F1 Sprints this year. Only Alpine with 19 have scored fewer points in the 2025 F1 season than Haas’ 29.
Photo by Andrea Diodato/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesOliver Bearman had the same confidence in Haas’ car as Ferrari’s for the ‘first time’ at Silverstone
But Bearman arrived at Spa in high spirits after a positive maiden British Grand Prix earlier in the month. The Havering native finished P11 for the third round in succession at Silverstone, having lost out to compatriot Mercedes’ George Russell for the final point by 1.421 seconds.
His efforts were hampered after Bearman drew a 10-place grid penalty for crashing under a red flag at Silverstone, which ensured he started the British GP in P18 rather than the P8 he qualified in. His race even hit a bump when Bearman and teammate Esteban Ocon crashed.
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Friday 25th July to Sunday 27th July
Friday 25th July 10:30 1st Practice Friday 25th July 14:30 1st Sprint Qualifying Friday 25th July 14:49 2nd Sprint Qualifying Friday 25th July 15:06 3rd Sprint Qualifying Saturday 26th July 10:00 Sprint Saturday 26th July 14:00 1st Qualifying Saturday 26th July 14:25 2nd Qualifying Saturday 26th July 14:48 3rd Qualifying Sunday 27th July 13:00 Race
Bearman still took a lot of positives from the British GP that he now hopes to replicate at the Belgian GP, having felt the same feelings in the Haas VF-25 that he got in the Ferrari SF-24 last term for the ‘first time’ thanks to the two-fold upgrade package the American team ran.
“We were the fastest midfield car in qualifying and in the race, I was fighting a Mercedes for points until the very last corner,” Bearman told Motorsport.com: “Clearly, we had a quick car that weekend.
“That qualifying was the first time that I’ve been able to replicate the feeling that I had in a Ferrari, which is full confidence in the car.
“The upgrade package we brought, it gave me the feeling that I could attack really hard and the car was predictable. I knew what it was doing underneath me and, with that, we were able to qualify in P8.
“That’s a good feeling for me and I really hope that we can replicate it because like I said, that feeling of confidence – even at points where I’ve had really high confidence with the Haas – it’s never matched what I had in previous F1 experiences.”
Oliver Bearman became the youngest-ever Ferrari driver on his F1 debut
Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images
Haas took a major upgrade package to the British GP earlier this month, as they unveiled a re-profiled sidepod inlet and an updated floor. The new sidepod cleaned up the air flowing to the rear of the VF-25, while the floor combined changes on the body, fences and edges.
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Were it not for Bearman’s 10-place grid penalty for crashing in the pit entry under a red flag in practice, Haas might have reaped the rewards of their upgrades. The 20-year-old secured his career-best qualifying result with P8 after making Q3 for only the second time this term.
Bearman will now hope the confidence he gained from Haas’ upgrades at Silverstone carries over to Spa, where he has never raced in F1, after feeling the same sensations as he did with Ferrari in 2024. He drove the SF-24 in the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and FP1 in Mexico.
Carlos Sainz undergoing emergency surgery for appendicitis saw Scuderia academy product Bearman become Ferrari’s youngest-ever F1 driver in the 2024 Saudi Arabian GP. He sealed P11 in qualifying and came home in P7, despite only being in Jeddah to race in Formula 2.