Ayao Komatsu has highlighted Ollie Bearman’s ability to motivate people around him as an “important quality” he has brought to Haas, with the young Briton one of the standout performers of 2026 so far.<\/p>\n
Bearman<\/a> finished at the top of the midfield in both Australia and China, as well as scoring in the Sprint in Shanghai, and despite not finishing in Japan the 20-year-old remains seventh in the standings<\/a> with 17 points.<\/p>\n But, while his on-track confidence is growing week after week, Haas Team Principal Komatsu has found more to praise than just Bearman’s results.<\/p>\n \u201cHe takes steps every single time,” said Komatsu during the Team Representatives press conference in Suzuka. “You saw how much he improved throughout last year, right?<\/p>\n \u201cAs we said, his speed\u2019s never been in doubt. Then you saw the consistency improvement towards the end of last year. Mexico, P4, was amazing under huge pressure.<\/p>\n \u201cThen pre-season testing throughout, working with the engineers, mechanics, feedback, all the quality has improved. If you look at the first two races, he hardly made any mistakes.<\/p>\n “It\u2019s just the way he can absorb the information, understand the bigger picture, he\u2019s able to articulate it, digest, apply, all these qualities you need to be a top driver, he\u2019s got it.\u201d<\/p>\n Bearman has come a long way since making his sudden F1 debut at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, when he stepped in for Carlos Sainz<\/a> at the last minute for Ferrari as the Spaniard was laid low with appendicitis. The Briton impressed immediately as he bagged points with an admirable seventh-place in the race despite being drafted in at short notice.<\/p>\n