Komatsu’s High Praise for Bearman as Future Haas F1 Star

Komatsu’s expectations for Bearman were fully met, confirming his long-standing admiration for the young driver’s remarkable talent.

Oliver Bearman once again impressed Ayao Komatsu, the Haas F1 team director, during his stand-in performance at Baku. Komatsu, who has been full of praise for the young Briton since last year’s practice sessions in Mexico, reiterated his admiration. Unsurprisingly, Bearman, who is set to join the team full-time next season, did not disappoint.

“I’m not surprised. But that’s not to take anything away from Ollie. I’m not surprised because I’ve seen so many good things from him during FP1 that this is exactly what I expected,” Komatsu stated.

“The very first time he drove for us in FP1 at Mexico, what really impressed me was his ability to grasp the bigger picture—understanding the role he needs to play, what he needs to execute, and when. And also, how quickly he’s able to learn.”

Reflecting on the Azerbaijan weekend, where Bearman filled in for the suspended Kevin Magnussen, Komatsu explained the approach was different: “For Baku, the objective was very different. But in terms of what he did, what he executed, and how quickly he learned, it was exactly what I saw in Mexico the very first time he drove in FP1.”

“Yes, of course, the crash in FP3 was a setback. That was something I hadn’t yet seen—how he would handle such a challenge. But he dealt with it brilliantly. He was able to refocus, return to the good work he’d done on Friday, and make it through to Q1. It was impressive, but exactly what I expected.”

Komatsu also noted Bearman’s adherence to team orders, even though the young driver wasn’t happy about it: “When we had to ask for a position swap during the first stint, he wasn’t pleased. And I can fully understand why.

“But despite that, he followed through. He let Nico through without delaying it for a lap or two. Again, it shows his maturity, doesn’t it? It’s fantastic.”

More broadly, Komatsu praised Bearman’s ability to stay composed under pressure: “That’s another thing—he’s always calm, even when he’s upset or facing adversity.”

“He’s very composed, and even in that yellow flag situation towards the end of the race, with the big crash and a lot of debris, he remained calm once again. He had the presence of mind to say, ‘OK, Nico’s not gaining an advantage,’ and kept going.”