The final race before the summer break brings F1 to the Hungaroring, a circuit known for its technical demands and unpredictable conditions. As the 2025 F1 season reaches its halfway point, Haas drivers Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman head into the Hungarian GP with clear targets: to convert the pace shown in recent rounds into consistent points, and to eliminate small errors that have cost the team valuable results.
After a mixed weekend in Spa-Francorchamps, both drivers remain confident in the car’s potential but acknowledge that execution has fallen short in crucial moments. With the midfield battle tighter than ever, the need to optimise every session is clear.
Progress at Spa — but opportunities missed
When asked to reflect on the Belgian GP weekend during the Thursday Press Conference, Esteban Ocon offered a measured but optimistic view. The Frenchman pointed to the car’s overall performance as a step forward for the team, particularly during the Sprint events at Spa-Francorchamps. With both Haas cars finishing in the points—Ocon in P5 and teammate Ollie Bearman in P7—the weekend initially appeared to be a breakthrough moment.
“I think it’s been, first, a positive weekend because we really had a strong car that was able to be fighting for the point scoring zones,” Ocon said. “We’ve maximised that Friday evening and Saturday morning, definitely, with the P5 finish and the P7 for Ollie. That was a really good haul of points.”
However, the promising start did not carry through to the main race on Sunday. Ocon expressed disappointment in how the team executed qualifying and the GP itself, feeling that the result failed to reflect the car’s true pace.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t optimise Saturday’s quali and the race was even worse on our side,” he admitted. “We know we have a quick car, but we need to align everything. That’s the most important thing and we will try and do that this weekend.”
BREAKING: @OconEsteban is a Formula 1 race winner for the first time!
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 1, 2021
He finishes ahead of Sebastian Vettel (P2) and Lewis Hamilton (P3) after a thrilling and dramatic race in Hungary 🏆#HungarianGP 🇭🇺 #F1 pic.twitter.com/AGT2s3mWCO
Expectations for Budapest
Looking ahead to Budapest, Ocon expressed confidence in Haas’s potential at a track where he has previously enjoyed one of the biggest moments of his F1 career. The Frenchman secured his maiden victory at the Hungaroring in 2021—an achievement that continues to hold emotional significance. With that history in mind, he heads into the weekend with high expectations.
“No reason why we shouldn’t be able to perform,” he said. “It’s a track that I really enjoy, that I have great memories from. I’m looking forward to seeing what this car can do.”
Hungary’s tight and technical layout plays to different strengths than Spa, and Ocon believes the team’s recent upgrades have brought them closer to being able to consistently compete at such venues. While the car has shown flashes of top-ten pace, execution across the full race weekend remains a challenge that Haas must overcome.
“Since the update, we really have been able to do a step forward in terms of where we position ourselves,” he explained. “Now, it’s easier said than done that we can get into the right zone. Qualifying is going to be super important, so we need to maximise that. And there could be some rain again. It’s two races in a row where we didn’t maximise our strategy and where we should have ended up higher. Hopefully the third one will be the good one.”
With overtaking limited at the Hungaroring and strategic flexibility potentially affected by changing weather, qualifying will be a decisive factor. For Haas, this means not only extracting strong one-lap performance but ensuring that execution across pit stops, race starts, and tyre calls remains sharp and reactive.
Navigating changeable conditions
When asked whether similar weather conditions to those that aided his memorable 2021 Hungaroring victory could provide another chance for success, Esteban Ocon responded with grounded realism. While unpredictable weather can create opportunities in F1, Ocon emphasised that the circumstances need to align perfectly to capitalise on such moments.
“Realistically, no. That’s the real answer,” he said. “Obviously, that opens up opportunities in this kind of weather. We’ve been the last two races on the wrong side of things, not going in the right direction to move forward in the race. It’s a good thing for the show and for us to suddenly take the opportunity to score points. We’ll see how things go, but Budapest always brings interesting races.”
Recent races at Spa and Silverstone have demonstrated how variable weather and changing track conditions can both help and hinder teams. For Haas, these weekends highlighted some of the challenges faced in making quick and effective strategic calls under pressure. Though the VF-25 has shown promising pace across different conditions, inconsistencies in timely decision-making from the pit wall have prevented the team from fully capitalising on the opportunities presented.
Reviewing the season so far
Reflecting on his first half-season with Haas, Ocon offered a candid and positive appraisal of the team’s progress. While acknowledging that the journey has not been without its challenges, he highlighted key moments where the team’s performance and resilience have shone through.
“Going in the good direction, I would say,” Ocon began. “It hasn’t been smooth the whole time, but we were able to get some weekends where we thought, okay, that was a really strong one. There was nothing we could have done better and there was a lot of learning.”
The start of the season presented significant hurdles. Haas arrived in Australia clearly positioned as the slowest car on the grid, struggling to match the pace of their midfield rivals. However, the team responded impressively to those early difficulties.
“We started, clearly, as the last car in Australia, and we fought back in a magnificent way,” Ocon said. “The team was able to react to certain situations in a way that I felt it was a lost cause, and that wasn’t the case.”
Consistency key to Championship fight
That reaction—whether through development upgrades, strategic decisions, or simply the determination of the personnel—helped Haas claw back competitiveness. Ocon spoke proudly of the team’s attitude and commitment throughout this process.
“It’s been great to see how much pride the team takes when we do certain results, and I’m really proud of everyone in the way we’ve been able to deliver and improve.”
As the midfield tightens and competition intensifies, Ocon underlined the importance of consistency and delivering results every race weekend. This foundation will be crucial as Haas aims to solidify their place in the midfield pack and convert promising pace into consistent points finishes.
“We set ourselves in a good position now where it’s a tight midfield, and we need to deliver every time we are out there, and that will make the difference at the end of the year.”
Bearman: “Within striking distance of P10”
Oliver Bearman, who also scored points in the Sprint but fell short of the top ten in the main race, echoed Ocon’s analysis. The rookie acknowledged that Spa was another instance in which the team’s potential was not fully realised.
“Yeah, there’s been a few missed opportunities across the previous weekends,” Bearman said while speaking separately to written media. “Spa was a big one and, in the race, I think we could have scored points with a number of things that happened, and we still finished within striking distance of P10.”
The Briton has shown increasing confidence and maturity in his debut F1 campaign, and his comments reflect a clear understanding of how small margins can make a major difference in the midfield battle. Even without a perfect race, Bearman believes the VF-25 had the pace to challenge for the final points positions.
“The car has been really fast, which is great. There’s still a few things we need to brush up on, but we’ve learnt from our mistakes in Spa and it’s just been another one of those weekends where we’ve been caught out by little things. I’m confident that now we can put these things into practice and have a slightly better weekend.”
Despite the frustrations, both drivers view the underlying pace of the car as a significant positive. The VF-25 has shown it can perform in both wet and dry conditions, offering the team a strong baseline heading into more technical circuits like Budapest. However, both Ocon and Bearman are aware that maximising results will come down to improving execution and avoiding costly errors in critical moments.
Our best Sprint Qualifying of the season 👊🇧🇪
— MoneyGram Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) July 29, 2025
Esteban and Ollie's P5 & P7 saw our first SQ3 of 2025 too 👏#HaasF1 #F1 #BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/lOWHCXNPyN
Fine margins and continuous learning
Bearman was asked whether the recent lack of results reflected a weakness in strategy. He clarified that the team’s difficulties in Spa did not stem from the pit wall.
“I don’t think so. That side of things wasn’t really where the race came undone on Sunday and it’s an incredibly difficult scenario to make a call with. In the meantime, I wasn’t really giving much info to the guys about what the track was doing because I was struggling with a different issue.”
He emphasised that responsibility for the result rested with everyone involved, saying “There’s no really one person to blame, it’s just a series of difficult events. So yeah, a bit of brushing up from everyone everywhere and it’s not a lot that we need to do to make that little step.”
Asked whether the run of near-misses—particularly P11 finishes—could have yielded more, Bearman responded without hesitation.
“Yes, for sure. That’s the slightly frustrating part. The good thing is that since Silverstone I’ve had a great feeling with the car, particularly in qualifying. That’s given me a lot of confidence for the second half of the season. That was a question mark if after Silverstone we could replicate the feeling that we had in Silverstone in Spa. That was the case. The car felt just as good so that’s positive. That’s the good thing that we have to bring forward from these races.”
A candid self-assessment
When asked to reflect on his personal development during the first half of the season, Ollie Bearman gave a candid and self-aware assessment. He acknowledged that his journey in Formula 1 so far has been marked by a learning curve, with moments of both promise and frustration.
“No, for sure not. There’s been a lot of mistakes from my side and a lot of things where I’ve thrown away opportunities,” Bearman admitted openly. “But on one hand I’m also expecting these things at this stage of my career. There’s been some good showings of speed. Qualifying has been going well. The races have been a bit more up and down and, like I said, too many mistakes.”
As a rookie, Bearman is navigating the complexities of top-level motorsport while continuing to build experience and confidence. His mindset reflects a mature understanding that growth comes through trial and error.
“But it’s also my 12th or 13th race so I’m also improving and learning and getting better at all of the things as I go,” he said. “At this stage of my career, I expect to make mistakes. I’m not too hard on myself for them. But of course, trying to improve on that for the second half of the season and the future as well.”
Building momentum into the break
As F1 prepares to pause for its summer break, the 2025 Hungarian GP provides a final opportunity for teams to lock in progress before regrouping for the final stretch of the season. For Haas, it represents a chance to convert potential into tangible results.
Ocon and Bearman have both demonstrated the pace and attitude required to lead the team forward. If they can align strategy, execution and performance over a full weekend, the VF-25 has the tools to challenge for regular points finishes. With both drivers focused on cleaner execution and confident in the performance of the updated VF-25, Haas approaches the Hungarian GP with optimism. In a congested midfield, marginal gains could make the difference between a strong points haul and a weekend of frustration — a challenge that both Ocon and Bearman appear ready to meet head-on.
