The Hungaroring confirmed the current difficulties of Haas, and Oliver Bearman did not hide his concern after a nightmare weekend while Esteban Ocon wants to stay positive.
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The young Briton feels he has completely lost confidence in his car, a worrying observation for a team that had nevertheless started its season well.
At the Hungaroring, Haas was never able to fight for points. Esteban Ocon qualified 15th, Bearman only 17th, before both drivers dropped further during the race to finish 16th and 19th respectively.
A race that quickly turned into a nightmare
Bearman also received a five-second penalty for not respecting blue flags: “We expected a difficult day, but our lack of performance in qualifying was even more pronounced in race pace. The car was sliding a lot and tire degradation was very significant.”
Added to this was the impossibility of overtaking: “I couldn’t pass anyone, I was stuck behind other cars and, anyway, I had no pace. We need to understand why Spa went so well and why this weekend was so bad, because the feelings were completely opposite. I have lost all confidence in the car.”
This loss of competitiveness is all the more difficult to explain since Haas had shown a very encouraging level of performance a week earlier at Spa-Francorchamps.
A striking contrast with Spa
In Hungary, Bearman says he never felt comfortable behind the wheel: “I didn’t do a single lap this weekend feeling good in the car. We think we have an idea of the origin of the problem, but we will have to analyze it very carefully during the summer break. “
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For a rookie driver, such a lack of confidence is a particularly worrying signal. Beyond the simple performance deficit, Bearman explains he no longer manages to understand the behavior of his car.
For his part, Esteban Ocon was a little less harsh in his analysis, while acknowledging that Haas must imperatively regain performance: “We need to work to make the car faster. We are waiting for the next upgrades and we hope they will make a difference.”
Ocon more philosophical
With his experience, the Frenchman prefers to focus on some positive elements: “I am satisfied to have managed to get the most out of the car and to have been consistent from Friday through the race. But it is obvious that we now lack performance.”
Haas will therefore approach the summer break with many questions. The American team has not scored any points since the Monaco Grand Prix, early June, and the upgrades expected in the coming weeks will be crucial to try to revive a season that is fading.
More than regaining the midfield, the immediate goal will be above all to give its drivers a car in which they can once again have confidence.
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