Ollie Bearman felt Haas likely did not fully deserve to come away with a points finish at the Canadian Grand Prix, even though he managed to salvage tenth place after a challenging weekend in Montreal.
Key Takeaways:
- Bearman felt Haas “didn’t really deserve” to score points in Canada after a tough overall weekend
- Haas struggled for pace despite bringing a major upgrade package to Montreal
- Early lap gains and race incidents helped Bearman recover to P10 and secure points
- He pointed to a slow pit stop and inconsistent performance as missed opportunities for a stronger result
Tough weekend despite upgrades
The team arrived with a significant upgrade package and aimed to move closer to the front of the midfield, but both Bearman and teammate Esteban Ocon struggled to unlock competitive pace. Neither driver was able to fight for points in Saturday’s Sprint, and they only qualified P16 and P17 for the main race, leaving them on the back foot heading into Sunday.
Difficult conditions and early gains
Rain threats and a low-grip circuit made the race unpredictable, but Bearman made an early impact by gaining six positions on the opening lap, which proved crucial to his recovery. He described the track conditions as extremely slippery and difficult to manage throughout the race.
Bearman also explained that starting on used soft tyres was a deliberate choice to gain an advantage early, though multiple formation laps reduced its effectiveness.
Mixed feelings after points finish
Despite benefiting from incidents and retirements involving drivers such as George Russell, Lando Norris, and Alex Albon, Bearman still secured his third points finish of the season.
Reflecting on the result, he admitted the team may not have truly earned it based on overall performance, but accepted the outcome nonetheless. "We didn't really deserve that today based on our performance but we'll take it."
Bearman also pointed out that a slow pit stop may have cost additional positions and said Haas would need to investigate the issue ahead of Monaco. He added that other weekends had felt more deserving without reward, describing the season so far as a mixed balance of luck and timing.
