Oliver Bearman has not hidden his frustration. The young Haas driver admits he has to constantly adapt to the ever-changing characteristics of the VF-26, a situation that makes it difficult for him to find his best form in the 2026 season.
Unlike last season, when he could immediately feel comfortable with the VF-25, this year Bearman feels like he is driving a different car every time he hits the track. "It's really challenging because you have a good weekend, the car feels nice, you take a lot of confidence from that, and you expect that to carry over to the next weekend. But then you get on track and the car is different from what you were driving five days ago," he said.
He cited 2025, especially in Abu Dhabi, where he could immediately know the car's limits and brake at the same points on his first qualifying lap. "You know exactly how the car is going to perform," he added. Now, he says, every session is like learning a new car. "Sometimes it's performing really nicely and you can push it to the limit, but the next week it's not doing that at all and you're wrestling a completely different beast," Bearman explained.
The impact is felt on Haas's overall performance. The Silverstone-based VF-26 has steadily lost its competitiveness from the start of the season. The team has fallen behind Racing Bulls and Alpine in the midfield battle. With 18 points, Bearman enters this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix with a particular concern: the long straights of the Baku street circuit could expose the car's weaknesses.
"It's not been easy for either of us, especially the last few events where we haven't been competitive," Bearman admitted. He hopes upcoming upgrades will help, but for now, his focus is on understanding and maximizing the current package. "I've really struggled to find confidence in this car and push it to the limit every weekend," he concluded.
Bearman's comments highlight the technical challenges teams face in the new regulatory era, where car stability is key to consistent performance. Haas, known as a team with limited resources, must work hard to overcome this issue if they want to compete for better positions.
Baca Juga
Oliver Bearman mengungkap kesulitan beradaptasi dengan karakter Haas VF-26 yang berubah-ubah setiap balapan. Dampaknya pada performa Haas di F1 2026.
Liam Lawson kembali ke Racing Bulls di GP Azerbaijan setelah tiga balapan bersama Red Bull. Ia akui posisinya lebih rentan, tetapi yakin konsistensi 2026 membawa dampak positif.
Lewis Hamilton mengkritik rencana F1 untuk memperpendek jarak balapan mulai 2027. Juara dunia tujuh kali itu menilai keputusan tersebut tidak masuk akal dan justru ingin balapan lebih panjang.
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