Bearman plays down pace gains as he targets consistency in F1

Oliver Bearman has played down expectations that he will unlock significant gains in outright pace as he continues his progression in Formula 1.

The Haas driver impressed last season with a string of fine displays and as he approaches his second year in the sport, he says his focus is firmly on consistency and execution rather than raw speed.

Bearman, who was testing with Haas in Barcelona last week, believes his fundamental pace that carried him through the junior categories is already established, and that meaningful improvements are more likely to come from how effectively he operates across an entire race weekend.

“I don't expect to become a faster driver or find another few tenths. It's not realistic,” Bearman explained to selected media including GPblog, adding that he does not feel any quicker now than he was in Formula 3 or Formula 4. Instead, Bearman identified areas such as feedback to engineers, session management and weekend preparation as the key elements where gains can be made.

He described this as a mindset that develops only through experience, rather than something that can be artificially accelerated.

The 19-year-old believes that by improving the quality of his practice sessions, he can place himself in a stronger position when it matters most. Stronger FP1, FP2 and FP3 outings, he argues, will naturally allow him to extract more from the car in qualifying, even if the ultimate lap-time potential remains unchanged.

“I don't think my ultimate lap time will improve,” Bearman added. “But if I'm able to string together cleaner weekends, I can get the car in a better place. And by virtue of having better free practice sessions, I’ll be able to find a bit more lap time in qualifying and get more out of myself.”

Bearman’s comments underline a pragmatic and measured approach to his development. Rather than chasing marginal gains in peak performance, his priority is to deliver at a high level more consistently and to reduce the variability that often defines many fledgling F1 drivers.

By targeting repeatability and process-driven improvement, Bearman is aiming to ensure he performs closer to his potential more often as he and the rest of the field navigate the sweeping changes for the 2026 season.

The driver, who is part of the Ferrari young driver programme, is expected to eventually replace Lewis Hamilton at the Italian team.