Ollie Bearman has labelled the unknown of F1’s new era as “horrible” but is in an optimistic mood ahead of his second season with Haas.
The British 20-year-old, who made his F1 debut for Ferrari in Saudi Arabia in 2024 and finished an impressive seventh, enjoyed a topsy-turvy but ultimately positive rookie campaign with Haas last year.
Bearman finished 13th in the championship table on 41 points, three points clear of teammate Esteban Ocon, with his best-result coming with a fourth-place finish in Mexico.
With new rules and regulations being enforced in 2026, it represents a clean slate for all 11 teams and Haas – who are yet to register a podium finish in 10 seasons – will be one team eyeing improvement.
Speaking as Haas’s 2026 car livery was unveiled on Monday, adorned with sponsorship from new partners Toyota Gazoo Racing, Bearman said: “I feel these changes are the biggest in the history of Formula 1, so with that is a huge deal of excitement for me. I’m heading into a regulation change for the first time in my life, really.
“Last year was a big step for me, but I think even from the beginning, we knew that if we put the car in the right window, we were still going to be able to fight for points, and we had an idea of the competitiveness of the car.
“That lack of knowledge heading into 2026 is good and bad, as on one side I feel like we can really have an impact straight away, but also it’s horrible not knowing.
“I would like to skip forward six months to see where we are, but I’m going to be giving it everything to make sure that where we are is as high up as possible.”
Bearman, who prepared for his rookie season last year alongside champion cyclist Tadej Pogacar, also revealed he has spent recent weeks in the Dolomites for a training camp.
He said: “Firstly, I spent the whole of December out of the gym, no physical training really, simply trying to relax and spend a bit of time enjoying myself,
“I think it’s really important where you have no races and a bit of time to enjoy yourself. Then, quite quickly, it comes around and you’re back to training, and I spent a lot of time in the mountains this winter break.
“Not only is that really beneficial – the altitude for your health and training – but I was also able to conduct a training camp in the Dolomites, which was incredibly fun and very useful heading into the new season.”
Bearman, who hails from Chelmsford in Essex, has a contract with Haas until the end of the 2026 season. He has been linked with a future move to Ferrari, given his history at the team as part of their driver academy.
Bearman will be testing the 2026 car at next week’s private session for the teams in Barcelona, before two official tests in Bahrain next month. The 2026 season starts with the Australian Grand Prix on 8 March.
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