Ollie Bearman managed to make it into SQ3 of the 2026 F1 Chinese GP Sprint Qualifying session with Haas. He will start from ninth position on the grid.
After placing higher than Haas teammate Esteban Ocon once again in qualifying, Bearman said after the session to F1TV, “Yeah, it was good. Sprint Quali three, we showed really good pace already from pretty much lap one of FP1, and we were able to build on that and go forward. It was a tough session.
“The balance was a bit on edge and difficult to put the lap together, but we got there in the end and happy with P9 today.”
Unfortunately for Haas, Ocon did not make the top 10 in Sprint Qualifying. He landed just outside SQ3 in 12th, leaving Bearman in a better position to score points for them. There was 0.138s between them in SQ2. It’s fine margins in the midfield.
Bearman dedicated to scoring points at the 2026 F1 Chinese GP after Sprint Qualifying
Bearman, who will start only one position out of the points, plans to end eighth or higher. With Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar massively struggling for pace, it has opened the door for some opportunities on Saturday morning.
“Yeah, that’s the plan. On the face of it, I’m quite impressed and surprised about the gap to the leaders. We seem to have closed it a little bit compared to last week.
“Honestly, prior to the weekend, I was not expecting to be in the fight for the top eight because we expected the four teams to be so far ahead. At the end, that was not really the case. Red Bulls don’t seem to have incredible pace, and it looks like if we get everything right tomorrow, we can actually score some points.”
For the 2026 F1 season, Haas is currently ranked fifth place in the constructors’ championship with six points. Bearman is responsible for all six, having placed seventh in the Australian Grand Prix.
Bearman added, “Then obviously in the race tomorrow, sorry on Sunday, that’s where I get serious.”
With the 2026 F1 Chinese GP being a sprint weekend, Haas and Bearman had only one practice session. Bearman’s goal is to continue scoring points after his sprint qualifying results.
