Haas’ Ollie Bearman has enjoyed a mixed rookie season in F1. While the young Briton enjoyed a string of points finishes early in the year, the struggles of Haas have seen him outside the points more often than not.
Bearman: from F1 reserve driver to 2025 race driver
Bearman was announced as a 2025 Haas F1 driver in July of 2024 following an impressive debut outing as Ferrari reserve driver. Deputising for an ill Carlos Sainz in the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Bearman secured a P7 finish.
The young Briton would continue his impressive form in Baku later in the season, taking the wheel of his soon to be Haas. Following a race ban for then Haas driver Kevin Magnussen, Bearman impressed once again, finishing P10, ahead of teammate Hülkenberg.
Early in 2025, Bearman seemed to be continuing his strong form in 2025. Despite a difficult opening Formula 1 Grand Prix in Melbourne, having finished last of the runners in P14, Bearman showed his skills in China. From a starting position of P17, the now 20-year-old fought his way to P10 on track. Post Grand Prix disqualifications ahead, however, saw the Haas driver promoted to a season and career best P8 result.
In the following F1 Grand Prix in Japan, Bearman continued to show improvement. An impressive result in Qualifying saw him make his first Q3 appearance en route to a P10 start. A strong drive on Sunday allowed Bearman to hold his position to come home P10, securing his second points finish of 2025.
Bearman continued this run of form next time out in Bahrain. Having forgone FP1 with reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa taking the wheel of his VF-25, Bearman struggled in Qualifying, and finishing last. Despite the challenge ahead, the Brit put in a stellar performance in Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Starting from P20, Bearman moved up 5 positions on the opening lap, utilising his soft tyres. An extended opening stint saw the Haas driver pit on lap 14 from P14. He continued his upwards trajectory, eventually improving to ninth before making a second stop during a safety car on lap 32. Once again utilising the Pirelli soft compound, he managed to fight back from P12 to finish P10.
Struggles for the F1 Haas rookie Bearman
Having enjoyed a strong run of 3 points finishes in the opening 4 races, Bearman looked on top of the VF-25. April’s Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix brought this streak to a close however. Having qualified P15, Bearman failed to break the top ten in the race, eventually coming home P13 just ahead of his teammate.
The Miami Grand Prix in May presented further struggles for Bearman. A difficult qualifying session saw him once again start from last place. A problem with his VF-25 power unit saw his Grand Prix come to an early end on lap 27, dashing any hopes of a Bahrain repeat.
The following Formula 1 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Imola proved a struggle for both Haas drivers. A double Q1 exit saw Bearman line up P19 behind his teammate on Sunday. Seeming to lack the pace throughout the Grand Prix, Bearman eventually took the chequered flag in P17, 2nd last of the running cars.
The sun soaked F1 Monaco Grand Prix seemed to show a glimmer of hope for Bearman. Despite a disappointing P17 in qualifying coupled with a ten place penalty, Bearman once again showed his class. From P20, following a grid penalty from a red flag infringement in FP2, Bearman managed to cross the line P12 on the infamously difficult Monaco streets.
Consistency is key
The Formula 1 Canadian, Austrian and British Grands Prix seemed to show an overall uptick in form for Bearman. Albeit outside the points, the young Briton has managed to secure P11 in the previous 3 races from varying starting positions.
In Montreal, Bearman found himself frustrated by traffic, as he believed the VF-25 had the pace for a points finish. From P13, the Haas man struggled to make meaningful inroads during the Grand Prix. The Austrian Grand Prix however, played a different story. A promising start from P15 did not allow Bearman to capitalise on his pace, eventually finishing behind teammate Ocon.
Silverstone posed a very different challenge for the rookie. Despite a very impressive qualifying, having progressed to Q3 and secured P8, Bearman was carrying a ten place penalty following a red flag infringement in FP3. Having crashed on pit entry at the end of the final practice session, Bearman was deemed to have not followed F1 red flag regulations.
Starting from a lowly P18 on Sunday, Bearman battled the difficult conditions to come home P11. He was notably the only of 6 2025 rookies to take the chequered flag. The result remains on that could have been however, with his grid penalty hanging over a strong qualifying performance.
F1 teammate head to head – Bearman v Ocon
Bearman has impressed overall in qualifying, seeming to somewhat match his more experienced teammate in Esteban Ocon. Statistics show their qualifying head to head at 6-6. Sunday performances on the other hand paint a different picture.
Esteban Ocon, the more experienced driver at Haas, has bested Bearman 8 times to 4 in Grands Prix. While Bearman has secured a better position than his teammate in both F1 Sprint’s thus far, neither driver has secured points from them.
Overall, Ocon has had the edge over Bearman in what appears to be a struggling VF-25. Bearman has been able to hold his own but not quite match his more experienced teammate. This is evident from the drivers standings, with Ocon occupying P10 on 23 points to Bearman’s 6 points in P18.
The first half of Bearman’s F1 rookie season has posed challenging. Bearman however has not shied away from the challenge and has been able to show glimmers of his talent. With 12 Grands Prix remaining in 2025, time will tell is Bearman can match his teammate and master the VF-25.
