RacingAyao Komatsu is not sweating Ferrari’s interest in Oliver Bearman. The Haas team principal says there is “no point worrying” about a move for the 20-year-old after his breakout start to 2026, calling any promotion a sign Haas has done its job as discussions with Ferrari continue.
Bearman is the driver powering Haas’s surprise early run. He took seventh in Australia and then fifth in China, putting him seventh in the standings. He has scored 17 of Haas’s 18 points so far. That form follows a steady climb over the past two seasons, with fourth in Mexico late last year after a 2024 debut for Ferrari that brought seventh in Jeddah, plus points in Baku for Haas. This surge has come despite a setback in Japan.
Komatsu has been open about what he sees in Bearman. He talks about speed from day one, fast learning week to week, and the way the Brit is starting to shape the team off the track. Strong preparation shows up in his simulator sessions. Clean, tidy opening days lead into calm Sundays. The pattern is clear enough that Haas has built weekends around making the most of his strengths while the VF-26 keeps delivering a stable platform.
On the Beyond the Grid podcast and in recent media briefings, Komatsu said talks with Ferrari about Bearman’s future are ongoing and, in his words, a “straightforward conversation.” He repeated that there is “no point worrying,” even as the rumors keep swirling. Haas wants to keep Bearman for 2027, but Komatsu conceded the team cannot control what happens next year. He also framed a Ferrari move as a credit to two groups at once: Haas for helping turn promise into points, and Ferrari for backing Bearman’s rise since 2022.
That stance fits the broader message from Kannapolis. Komatsu keeps pushing the present tense. Haas will keep working on execution, keep sharpening the car, and keep giving Bearman the tools to extend this form. The rest, he suggests, will sort itself out over time.
For now the scoreboard tells the story. Bearman is delivering clean laps, measured racecraft, and the kind of results that change a midfield team’s outlook. The link to Ferrari has been there from the start. The difference now is that everyone can see why the conversation matters. Haas sees that, and Komatsu is fine with it, as long as it keeps translating into points on Sundays with the VF-26.