Bearman: Haas ‘Lost All Confidence’ at Hungarian GP

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123Helmets Editorial Team

Hungarian Grand Prix Reaction

Oliver Bearman says he lost all confidence in his Haas during a difficult 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, as both he and Esteban Ocon finished outside the points at the Hungaroring for a fifth straight race.

Key Takeaways

Oliver Bearman qualified P17 and finished P19 at the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix, also picking up a five-second penalty for ignoring blue flags.

Esteban Ocon started P15 and finished P16, giving Haas a double points miss at the Hungaroring.

Neither Haas driver has scored points since the Monaco Grand Prix in early June, a run now stretching five races.

Bearman scored points three times across the opening five Grands Prix of 2026 before Haas’s form dropped away.

How did Haas fare at the Hungarian Grand Prix?

Haas left the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix without a point for the fifth consecutive race. Oliver Bearman qualified P17 and slipped further back to finish P19, a result compounded by a five-second penalty for ignoring blue flags. Esteban Ocon started P15 and crossed the line P16, unable to break into the top ten despite a tidier weekend than his team mate.

The result extends a barren run for the American team, who last scored points at the Monaco Grand Prix at the start of June. Bearman had been the more productive of the pair in the early part of the season, picking up points on three occasions across the opening five Grands Prix, but that form has since evaporated as rivals found performance Haas has struggled to match.

What did Oliver Bearman say about the Hungarian GP?

Oliver Bearman said he “lost all level of confidence in the car” during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend. Speaking after the race, he described a session in which qualifying pace that was already lacking got worse once the race started. “It was certainly a very long day as we were probably anticipating,” Bearman said. “The lack of qualifying pace was almost exacerbated in race trim. So much sliding and degradation.”

Bearman added that the car’s lack of pace left him stuck behind rivals for long spells, unable to find a way past. “On top of that, I couldn’t overtake so I got stuck and didn’t have any pace anyways,” he said. “We need to understand why Spa was so good and why this weekend has been so bad because the feeling has been completely the opposite. I lost all level of confidence in the car.” He said he had not completed a single lap all weekend that felt good behind the wheel, and that the team believes it has an idea why but needs to dig into the data over the summer break.

How did Esteban Ocon assess the weekend?

Esteban Ocon said Haas needs to add more performance to the car rather than search for answers in setup alone. Starting and finishing one place ahead of Bearman, in P15 and P16 respectively, Ocon still missed the points but pointed to a more consistent weekend on his side of the garage. “We need to look at putting more performance on the car,” Ocon said. “We need to look at the next upgrades on the car and hope that they will make a difference.”

Ocon struck a more measured tone than his team mate, saying the team would review the weekend closely but that there were positives for him personally. “Obviously the team will be on it and there’s a lot of positives to take away from this weekend on my side,” he said. “Quite happy that we managed to extract the maximum out of the car.”

Why has Haas’s form dropped since Monaco?

Haas’s competitiveness has fallen away sharply since the Monaco Grand Prix in early June, with neither driver scoring in the five races since. Bearman’s own comments point to an inconsistency the team cannot yet explain — strong pace at Spa followed by a season-low weekend in Hungary, with the same car and setup approach producing opposite results. That unpredictability is arguably more concerning for the team than the raw lack of points, since it makes trackside decisions harder to trust from one Sunday to the next.

Haas are expected to introduce an upgrade package after the summer break in an attempt to arrest the slide. Bearman’s early-season return of three points finishes in the first five Grands Prix showed the car had a competitive baseline; the task now is recovering it before the run to the end of the year.

What’s next for Bearman and Haas?

Haas will use the summer break to dig into the data behind Hungary’s drop-off before returning with hoped-for upgrades. Bearman said the team believes it has a working theory for the swing in form between Spa-Francorchamps and the Hungaroring, but that it needs to “look long and hard through things” before the season resumes. Ocon’s message was similar in substance if different in tone — more raw performance, delivered through the next round of car upgrades, is what the team needs to get both drivers back into the points.

For fans following Bearman’s rookie season through its highs and lows, his 2026 Haas helmet design remains one of the more distinctive on the grid this year.

“I lost all level of confidence in the car. I haven’t done a lap this weekend and felt good in the car.”

— Oliver Bearman, Haas

“We need to look at putting more performance on the car and hope that the next upgrades will make a difference.”

— Esteban Ocon, Haas

FAQ

Q: Where did Oliver Bearman finish at the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix?
Oliver Bearman finished P19 at the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix. He had qualified P17 and also received a five-second penalty for ignoring blue flags during the race.

Q: Where did Esteban Ocon finish at the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix?
Esteban Ocon finished P16 at the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix, one place up on his P15 starting position, narrowly missing the points.

Q: When did Haas last score points before the Hungarian GP?
Haas last scored points at the Monaco Grand Prix in early June 2026, meaning the Hungarian Grand Prix marked five consecutive races without a points finish for either driver.

Q: Why did Bearman say he lost confidence in the Haas car?
Bearman said the lack of qualifying pace carried into the race, where sliding and tyre degradation left him unable to overtake or find a rhythm all weekend, in contrast to a strong showing at Spa.

Q: Is Haas planning car upgrades after the summer break?
Yes, Haas are expected to introduce an upgrade package after the summer break as both drivers pushed for more raw performance following the Hungarian Grand Prix.