The American Haas team hardly shone at home by failing to score points, a trend that could reverse as early as the next Grand Prix in Montreal where a revised and updated car will be fielded.
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Oliver Bearman came very close to a points finish in Miami, finishing 11th just behind the two Williams, his teammate Ocon settling for 13th place, preceded by Gabriel Bortoleto’s Audi.
The British driver is nevertheless satisfied with this result, given a complicated race and the absence of upgrades on his car.
Tight battle in the midfield
Indeed, teams like Alpine and Williams had significantly improved cars — upgrades that Haas will only introduce in Canada —, so the main goal was above all to limit the damage against better-equipped competition.
“It was close. I’m a bit disappointed, but we expected a tough weekend since we had no upgrades. We can be proud to finish close to the points, even though there were retirements ahead, Bearman explained. However, we lacked luck at the start of the race and during the stops. Overall, we can be satisfied with the weekend. I lacked confidence: it was better in the race, but we didn’t maximize the car’s potential, so this result remains acceptable.”
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Ocon eager
For his part, Esteban Ocon acknowledged that Haas lacked performance in Miami. According to him, even with better strategic decisions, beating Alpine and Williams would have been difficult.
“We lacked a bit of performance. It probably wouldn’t have been enough to score points, but we could have done better. Especially after the stop, where we could have optimized more, or even stopped earlier, the French driver confided. At best, we would have finished 11th, so outside the points. But there is a positive: we learned a lot, which will help us for the rest of the championship. Some things could have been better managed, and we will have to avoid repeating these mistakes.”
The Frenchman now looks forward with impatience: “I can’t wait to see what the car will deliver in Montreal. A large part will be new, and we will see how it develops.”