Haas hoping to keep their momentum in the F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
Photo by Zak Mauger/LAT Images
Saturday evening at the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix the mood at Haas was rather bleak.
Rookie driver Oliver Bearman had just qualified last for the race, while Esteban Ocon's crash during Q2 left the mechanics with some work to do ahead of the Grand Prix, and the veteran driver slotted in P14 on the starting grid.
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But the beauty of F1 is that fortunes can change in an instant, as they did for Haas on Sunday. Not only did Ocon find his way into the points, taking advantage of a Safety Car to gain position on the track to finish eighth, but Bearman delivered a masterful recovery drive, picking up ten places to finish tenth, capturing the final point available at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
That gave the team their second double-points result of the season — one more than Red Bull for those taking notes — and vaulted Haas into fifth in the Constructors' Championship standings.
Now they head to Jeddah for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, hoping to keep the momentum going.
'Jeddah offers the unique challenge of a high-speed street circuit with little margin for driving error,' said Team Principal Ayao Komatsu in the team's media preview. 'We will be typically running lower drag settings compared to the circuits we've been to so far this year, so how we stabilize the car and get the tires to work with such a low drag configuration will be key.
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'This is also the first circuit we visit this year where Ollie has previous Formula 1 race experience. It's difficult to predict exactly how the VF-25 will perform in Jeddah, but we've been getting maximum out of it in recent races.
'We're looking to carry over this momentum and finish the first triple-header of the season – which is very demanding for everyone both at the track and at our factories – on a high.'
As noted by Komatsu, Jeddah is one of the few circuits where the team's rookie has F1 racing experience. Bearman made his F1 debut at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, stepping in for Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz Jr. who was recovering from an emergency appendectomy. Despite having just one practice session in the SF-24 before qualifying, Bearman just missed out on Q3 in his debut, qualifying 11th.
He finished seventh in his first F1 race, holding off Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris down the stretch despite the two veteran drivers having fresher tires.
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'I'm very excited to return to Jeddah, it's the first repeat race of my career which is pretty cool. Having had the experience of last year was very nice and helpful and was a highlight of my life so far, having my debut with Ferrari, that track will always hold a special place in my heart,' said Bearman.
'Even before my Formula 1 debut, I really enjoyed driving around Jeddah because of its high-speed nature, and the thrill of driving at such speeds between the walls so I'm looking forward to returning and now having a full race weekend under my belt, not just, FP3, quali, and the race – it should be a good one.'
As for Ocon, the experienced driver is looking forward to returning to an 'exciting' circuit along the Red Sea.
'Jeddah is an exciting circuit. I think this track is one that's really demanding on the driver; it's so fast and there's so much grip, you need to get so close to the wall and that's how much time there is to gain – the closer to the wall, you're going to be gaining over a lap,' said Ocon. 'It's the type of weekend a driver really enjoys, and you feel the potential from a Formula 1 car.
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'It's going to be extremely hot there, this year we get there much later than before – it's going to be around 40 degrees – so it's going to be a challenge for all of us and we need to be ready for the heat. Overall, I look forward to racing in Saudi.'
Haas currently has 20 points on the season, one more than Williams as the first triple-header of the F1 season draws to a close in Saudi Arabia.
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