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Bearman: Haas Now ’10th Best’ After Aston Martin Surge
123Helmets Editorial Team
Oliver Bearman says Haas has slipped to become the “10th best team” on the 2026 Formula 1 grid after Aston Martin’s chassis upgrades pushed the American squad out of the points at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Key Takeaways
Haas has failed to score in the five grands prix since its last major upgrade at Montreal in May 2026
Oliver Bearman exited in Q1 at the Hungarian Grand Prix as Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll finished ahead
Haas scored points in five of the opening six rounds of 2026 but now sits seventh in the constructors’ standings
Bearman, 21, says Haas was quick enough early in the year to overtake both Racing Bulls cars in Australia and pull away
Bearman’s blunt verdict on Haas’ 2026 slide
Oliver Bearman says Haas is currently the “10th best team” in Formula 1, a stark admission after the American outfit was overtaken by Aston Martin at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The 21-year-old had started 2026 optimistic, with Haas scoring points in five of the opening six rounds of the season, but the team has now gone five straight grands prix without a point.
“We had a really, really good first few races where the car was quick, performing well, and we were really happy,” Bearman said. “But then, step by step, others caught up, others overtook, and now they’ve left us totally behind.”
The comments follow a difficult weekend in Budapest, where Bearman was eliminated in Q1 while Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll both finished ahead of Haas in the race. Haas currently sits seventh in the constructors’ championship, a position now under threat from teams that have kept developing their cars through the summer.
Aston Martin’s upgrade push widens the gap
Aston Martin brought a large chassis upgrade to the Hungarian Grand Prix that lifted both cars ahead of Haas on track. The Silverstone-based squad is set to add an updated Honda engine at Zandvoort this weekend, continuing a pattern of regular development that has contrasted sharply with Haas’ approach since the new regulations landed in 2026.
Haas’ last major upgrade package arrived at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal in May. Since then, rival teams including Aston Martin have kept adding parts, while Haas has fallen away from the midfield fight it led in the early rounds.
Bearman pointed to Racing Bulls as an example of how quickly the order has shifted. “At the start of the year, we were fighting, we were quicker than Racing Bulls,” he said. “I remember overtaking both of them in the race in Australia and driving away, and we wouldn’t dream of doing that these days.”
A reversal of Haas’ 2025 form
Bearman contrasted the 2026 season with 2025, when Haas built pace as the year progressed rather than losing it. “2025 was really the first year for us, or one of very few years, where we seemed to have good pace throughout the year,” he said. “We actually improved our relative performance as the year went on, and now 2026 is more of what we’ve seen from Haas in the past, of starting incredibly strong with a really quick car as a base, but not being able to improve like the others have.”
That pattern has repeated with the new regulations: a strong opening five-of-six scoring run followed by a run of five races without a point. Bearman said the situation is difficult to accept given how competitive the car looked in March and April.
What comes next for Haas
Haas faces a Dutch Grand Prix weekend at Zandvoort where Aston Martin arrives with an upgraded Honda engine, adding further pressure on the American team’s seventh-place standing. Bearman was direct about the outlook. “Quite frankly, we’ve been overtaken right now. We are the 10th best team,” he said. “It really hurts, myself and all the others. We were working really hard to make that not be the case, but that’s the reality of where we are right now.”
With no confirmed timeline for a fresh Haas upgrade package since Montreal, Bearman and the team will need results rather than promises to arrest the slide before development budgets for 2026 are fully committed elsewhere on the grid.
“We are the 10th best team. It really hurts, myself and all the others.”
— Oliver Bearman
“I remember overtaking both of them in the race in Australia and driving away, and we wouldn’t dream of doing that these days.”
— Oliver Bearman
FAQ
Q: Why did Oliver Bearman call Haas the ’10th best team’?
Bearman made the comment after Haas was overtaken by Aston Martin at the Hungarian Grand Prix, extending a run of five grands prix without a point and dropping the team behind its 2026 rivals in overall pace.
Q: When did Haas last bring a major upgrade in 2026?
Haas’ last major upgrade package arrived at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal in May 2026, with no comparable package since as rivals like Aston Martin kept developing.
Q: How did Aston Martin beat Haas in Hungary?
Aston Martin brought a large chassis upgrade to the Hungarian Grand Prix that helped Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll both finish ahead of Oliver Bearman, who was eliminated in Q1.
Q: Where does Haas stand in the 2026 constructors’ championship?
Haas is seventh in the 2026 constructors’ standings after scoring points in five of the opening six rounds but failing to score in the five grands prix since.
Q: What is Aston Martin bringing to the Dutch Grand Prix?
Aston Martin is set to run an updated Honda engine at Zandvoort, adding to the chassis gains it already showed in Hungary against Haas and other midfield teams.
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