Ayao Komatsu stated that Haas still cannot accurately measure Esteban Ocon’s performance in the 2026 Formula 1 season. According to the team principal, the inconsistency of the VF-26 has affected both cars and makes any direct comparison between the Frenchman and Oliver Bearman difficult, while the team evaluates its driver lineup for 2027.
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The championship numbers show Bearman’s advantage. The Briton surpasses Ocon 11-3 in qualifying sessions, has 18 points against only three for his teammate, and also finished ahead in all races where both received the checkered flag. Even so, Komatsu believes these results do not reflect the whole reality.
“It’s very difficult, looking from the outside, to see the difference between teammates. For example, at Silverstone, it had nothing to do with the team or the drivers. Esteban was two tenths ahead of Ollie before encountering a yellow flag. It was pure bad luck,” he stated.
The director also cited external factors that influenced the team’s points. “If you look at the points difference, part of it happened because of the safety car as well. In Shanghai, Ollie was fully benefited by the safety car, while Esteban was not. Last weekend, on Friday, when he was happy with the car, he was less than two tenths behind Ollie. From Saturday onwards, he simply didn’t like the car anymore. Honestly, we hardly changed anything. We still don’t understand why.”
Komatsu explained that the main difficulty lies in the instability of the VF-26’s behavior. “When he was happy, it wasn’t a matter of lap time. He would say: ‘I’m happy with this car.’ And, coincidentally, he was close to Ollie. In FP3, he immediately said that the stability had disappeared. We don’t understand why. And he stopped being close to Ollie. Therefore, it’s very difficult to get a real picture of the situation,” he added.
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Bearman agreed with the team principal’s assessment and stated that the internal dispute does not always happen on equal terms. “It’s a difficult situation we are experiencing in the team. We talk a lot about it, but the inconsistency between the parts of our cars has been very significant. I’ve been on the bad side of it and also on the good side, but it’s a shame, because you’re always chasing a moving target. From one day to the next, the car’s balance can change without us expecting it.”
The Briton believes that the results don’t tell the whole story. “All this means that it’s not always a fair fight between us, and sometimes we feel like we’re competing practically with our hands tied. I feel like I’m driving at a very high level and I see an evolution compared to twelve months ago, even since the start of the season. That’s all I can do.”
Bearman also acknowledged Haas’s difficult moment. “At this stage, we are not fighting for points. We are not fighting for much beyond trying to extract the most from ourselves and learn as much as possible during this difficult period, hoping that soon we will have the performance to turn that into points. It has been a challenge. I am satisfied with what I am doing, but the story is not necessarily the one that appears in the headline,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, Haas continues to plan its lineup for 2027. The team is evaluating the possibility of replacing Ocon and has Leonardo Fornaroli and the Brazilian Rafa Câmara among the names considered. Asked if he felt the need to publicly defend the Frenchman amidst the speculations, Komatsu replied: “I’m just telling the truth. I don’t go around defending too much or attacking anyone too much. I just tell the truth, trying to be fair to everyone.”
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