Racing
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Ollie Bearman arrived at his home British Grand Prix admitting Haas have lost the 2026 development race so far, saying he is "not surprised" the team has been overtaken in the midfield despite bringing a small update to Silverstone.
Speaking on Thursday, the Haas driver gave a blunt assessment of where the team stands. "Being brutally honest, we've just been out-developed by our competitors and we haven't brought as many upgrades and significant upgrades as they have," Bearman said. "So I'm not surprised to be standing here being overtaken by Alpine, Racing Bulls and Audi. In Austria we were with Williams."
That marks a clear shift from Haas' opening run of the season. Bearman scored points in Australia and China, and team-mate Esteban Ocon added more in Japan, but both Haas cars finished outside the top 10 at the last two rounds. The team has arrived at Silverstone seventh in the Teams' Championship, 23 points behind Racing Bulls in sixth.
Bearman said Haas has at least brought "a little step" this weekend, but he made clear that it may not be enough on its own to change the competitive picture immediately. "It is going to be a tough weekend," he said, adding that if Haas is again "the eighth-fastest car" as it was in Spielberg, "we're not going to score points this weekend."
Even so, Silverstone still carries obvious weight for Bearman in what will be his second Formula 1 home race. He called the weekend "the highlight" because of "my family coming, [and] the home crowd which will hopefully give me three tenths," a nod to Nigel Mansell's old line about the boost British support can bring.
Silverstone also offers the kind of unpredictability Bearman knows Haas may need. He pointed to last year's weather-hit race, when Nico Hulkenberg reached the podium, as a reminder that the order can be shaken up. "Anything can happen," Bearman said, arguing that moments like that are why Haas must keep pushing even as rivals pull ahead.
For Haas, that leaves Silverstone as more than just Bearman's home event. With Alpine, Racing Bulls and Audi moving past them and only a small upgrade arriving this weekend, the pressure is now on the team to prove it can start closing the gap before the midfield fight drifts further away.