Ollie Bearman wants Haas to understand some of its weaknesses despite securing a career-best sixth place after starting from the pit lane in the Dutch Grand Prix.
Haas opted to change Bearman’s engine after he qualified 19th and slowest of those who set a time in Q1, with team-mate Esteban Ocon one place ahead in 18th. Running a set of hard tires for the first 53 laps of the race before a Safety Car allowed him a free pit stop, Bearman says luck was on his side to secure a place in the top six.
“A long time coming for sure,” Bearman said. “Definitely lucky, but if you start from the pit lane you need a bit of luck to get up there.
“The most difficult thing was restarting those tires after every Safety Car, because when the tread gets thinner it’s really difficult to retain temperature in those tires. And I spent the entire stint length in DRS. First it was [Gabriel] Bortoleto, then Esteban. It’s good to be in the DRS, but also it destroys your tires, particularly the front. I was really holding on for dear life at the end, but we worked it out.
“It’s tough to overtake in this track, for sure. As long as you’re in the DRS or the car in front, you’re not really going to get overtaken. So I was pushing like hell to make sure I was staying in the DRS.”
Bearman had finished 11th in four of his previous five races, and while the points are a welcome return he says the struggles on Saturday need understanding both Haas’ side and his own.
“It’s nice and I think we deserved a bit of luck. By the same token, there’s still a few things this weekend that we need to understand as a team. Our FP3 performance was the tale of two halves between the hard tire and the soft tire, and so was quali really.
“So we have a bit of an understanding why we were so slow at the end of quali and not that performant in FP3 as well. I think as a team we need some more rallying together and more hard work, but we’re getting there. I’m also working on my side at putting in cleaner performances and giving them an easier life as well.”
Team principal Ayao Komatsu was frustrated by Haas’ performance in qualifying but praised the team’s reaction on Sunday, particularly how it handled multiple Safety Car periods to get both cars in the points as Ocon was classified 10th.
“I’m really proud of the team effort because [Saturday] was a tough day,” Komatsu said. “From starting P18 and in the pit lane, the chances were against us but you can never give up, so thanks to everyone in the team.
“We started on the hard compound and the first safety car timing was completely against us, that was perfect for medium starters. The reaction at that point was to stay calm and focus.
“As I always say, we must get the basics right and I believe we did that, and both drivers were great team players, and I can’t fault it. [Sunday] should be the benchmark, this is what we can do, so let’s do it again.”