Bearman admits Haas' promising 2026 season has 'tailed off' after difficult run of races

Oliver Bearman has admitted Haas' encouraging start to the 2026 Formula 1 season has faded into a frustrating run of underwhelming results, with the British rookie describing the past few months as a long and difficult period for both himself and the American team.

Speaking ahead of this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix, Bearman reflected on a campaign that began with genuine optimism before Haas gradually slipped behind several of its midfield rivals.

"It's been a bit long at times, honestly," Bearman said when asked to assess his 2026 season. I was really happy with how we started the season. We had a really competitive car."

The 21-year-old revealed that Haas was even able to challenge Red Bull during the opening rounds of the championship.

"Believe it or not, we were fighting with Red Bull in the first few races. They were not coming out of the blocks amazingly strongly, but we did a really good job."

Bearman praised the team's execution during the early part of the season, highlighting both the VF-26's competitiveness and Haas' smooth adaptation to Formula 1's all-new technical regulations.

"The first two events were really good. On top of that, we also got over the challenges and nuances of these regulations very efficiently, and we didn't suffer with any reliability issues or software issues in the first few events, so we scored a lot of points. It was a really good start."

However, that momentum has gradually disappeared as rival midfield teams introduced more effective development packages.

"Now it's kind of tailed off a bit. We haven't scored points as a team since Canada, which was where we introduced our last upgrade package, and it hasn't quite brought the performance to the car that our competition has been able to bring."

Bearman pointed to several rivals that have overtaken Haas in the development race.

"Audi, VCARB and Alpine—we were on par with them or ahead of them at the start of the year, and now all of those teams have made a good step forward."

Although results have been disappointing, the Briton believes Haas has continued to maximise its opportunities on race weekends.

"It's been a really long few months since Canada where, to be honest, I think in terms of execution we've been doing a good job. We've got the most out of the car, and I've got the most out of myself."

The problem, he admitted, is that the car's current performance ceiling is simply too low. Bearman hopes Haas can soon introduce further upgrades to reverse its recent decline.

"But when the most is just P14, P13 or P12, it starts to get a bit old. We're eagerly awaiting the next bit of performance that we have to add to the car, which hopefully will come soon, and hopefully that can make the second half a bit more fruitful."

Looking ahead to the Hungaroring, Bearman acknowledged that some of Haas' struggles have been circuit-dependent, particularly at tracks where engine performance plays a greater role.

"I think it's track-specific in the sense that we struggle a bit more on power-limited tracks compared to the Mercedes engines and Red Bull Powertrains."

He cited Spa-Francorchamps and Silverstone as examples where Haas found itself at a disadvantage. However, Bearman refused to use Ferrari's power unit as an excuse, noting that the Scuderia has been highly competitive at those same venues.

"Compared to those, we struggle a bit more at a track like Spa, and at Silverstone as well. "But that's not an excuse for us, because Ferrari were incredibly strong at those tracks and we have the same engine. That's not something we can hide behind."

Instead, he believes the team's shortcomings lie with the overall package rather than any single component. As for Haas' prospects at the Hungarian Grand Prix, Bearman admitted predicting the team's competitiveness remains difficult.

"Clearly, we are lacking performance in the whole package. I don't know what to expect this weekend, if that's what you're asking. Let's wait and see."