Oliver Bearman: A worthy rookie season
09 December 2025- Drivers’ standings: 13th
- Points: 41
- Best finish: 4th
- Best qualifying: 8th x2
- Podiums: 0
Oliver Bearman arrived for his first full Formula 1 campaign carrying both expectation and excitement after an eye-catching trio of super-sub performances in 2024. The question on everyone’s lips was simple: could the young Brit translate that magic into a full campaign with Haas?
On a grid stacked with six rookies and partnered by the experienced Esteban Ocon, Bearman faced a tough test for any newcomer. But across 2025, he delivered a year defined by resilience, learning and flashes of the talent that had already surfaced in 2024.
A rocky opening and a rapid reset
Melbourne delivered the harshest of welcomes. A crash, a missed session and a further spin across the three practice sessions saw him roll into Qualifying with only 13 laps completed. A gearbox issue ended his Q1 early, leaving him 20th and last. He finished the Grand Prix in 14th as the final classified runner – a weekend he was keen to move on from.
But true racers bounce back quickly, and Bearman did just that.
China offered redemption as he fought from 12th to eighth, securing his first points of the year and showing exactly why Haas placed their trust in him. Japan brought his maiden Q3 appearance in 2025 and another point for the tally.
Bahrain, meanwhile, saw him start from the back once again after a messy qualifying lap – but he powered through the field to take 10th and another hard-earned point.
The mid-season grind
The results started to dry up for a time, but Bearman kept making good progress – even if the driver standings didn’t show it. Miami ended early with a power unit failure, just as he was building momentum from the rear of the field.
While he continued to show promise, rookie errors started to creep in at the mid-point of the season, where he received two separate 10-place grid penalties for red flag infringements in Monaco and Silverstone.
The penalty at his home Grand Prix was particularly painful, having delivered an excellent eighth in qualifying. Still, in true Ollie fashion, he kept his head down and fought in front of the home fans at Silverstone, and though the race wasn’t smooth from start to finish, he was the only rookie to see the chequered flag.
Bearman 🤝 11th
Heading into the summer, a run of consecutive 11th finishes came the rookie’s way in Canada, Austria, Great Britain and Belgium, and although he scored points in the Sprint at Spa-Francorchamps, he was narrowly missing out on the main points paying positions.
Making Haastory
What followed was the strongest spell of Bearman’s rookie season – and one that etched his name firmly into Haas’ history.
After a pit lane start in Zandvoort following the summer break, he fought through the pack to finish sixth and firmly in the points.
But what was more impressive was from Singapore to Las Vegas, he scored points in five consecutive Grand Prix weekends, becoming the first Haas driver ever to achieve that feat. In those races, he collected 25 points.
His standout performance came in Mexico. Starting in ninth, he kept his cool amidst the chaos ahead, made smart overtakes at crucial moments, and crossed the line an incredible fourth – his best result of the season.
A worthy rookie season
While his rookie campaign wasn’t perfect, he has been able to learn and adapt across the season and ended the year driving at a level far above where he began. By year’s end he also edged out Ocon in their head-to-head battles, finished ahead in race results (11-9) and in qualifying (14-10).
A tough start became a strong finish, promise became performance and potential became points. It was a rookie year the Brit can be proud of.
Looking ahead to 2026
With sweeping new regulations on the horizon, Bearman enters 2026 on the front foot. If Haas can give him a stable platform, his late-2025 form suggests he’ll be ready to seize opportunities – and maybe even take the team into its most competitive era yet.
