Oliver Bearman says Haas’ Silverstone upgrade has left him genuinely astonished, giving him a “crazy” boost in confidence for the second half of the Formula 1 season.
The British driver got off to a rocky start in Melbourne, crashing out of FP1 and ultimately qualifying last for the race.
He recovered in the next three rounds, scoring points in China, Japan, and Bahrain. But during the middle stretch of the European leg, Bearman endured a punishing seven-race points drought leading into the British Grand Prix.
However, Haas’ introduction of a revised floor and updated sidepod inlets had an immediate impact at Silverstone, helping the rookie secure his best qualifying result of the season, eighth.
A 10-place grid penalty for ignoring red flags in practice saw him start 18th, extending his pointless streak into Belgium.
The boost in confidence from the upgrade, however, helped him end that run in the Sprint at Spa-Francorchamps, finishing seventh.
In Budapest, he looked set for further points after outqualifying his experienced team-mate Esteban Ocon, only for a mechanical failure to dash those hopes.
The impact of the Haas upgrade was clear to Bearman, who described a dramatic shift in his confidence behind the wheel.
“I haven’t found my confidence until we brought the Silverstone upgrade to the car,” he told media including Motorsport Week. “Since then, I’ve had a really good feeling, and I’ve been able to replicate that feeling – and that’s crazy.
“You can’t describe it, but you chase it, you chase it, you chase it and when you can have it, it’s very special.
“It’s a car that I feel fully comfortable in. Of course, I tried to feel as comfortable as possible in the previous car, but it’s difficult when the balance is tough. Now we’ve managed to replicate that, and from now, I think we can do a lot with this car.”
Bearman eyes points surge after Silverstone upgrade
Despite his recent confidence boost, the 20-year-old has accumulated just eight points so far in 2025, the lowest total of any points-scoring driver, leaving him 19th in the Drivers’ Standings.
That hasn’t stopped Bearman from remaining cautiously optimistic that he can build on the momentum from the Silverstone upgrade and continue improving after the summer break, when F1 returns for the Dutch Grand Prix.
“I hope we can replicate the feeling that I’ve had in the previous two races,” said Bearman, who is 19 points behind Ocon.
“In both qualifying and in the race, there’s been a few shortcomings from both sides: Silverstone I had a penalty, Spa we simply missed out on opportunities.
“But clearly, the car has pace, so there is a lot of potential there. Step by step, we’re going to improve and get better.
“I hope we can keep up this level of performance, and then I think we can score some good points going into the second half of the season.”
Next up on the calendar is Zandvoort, a circuit Bearman last tackled in 2023 during his Formula 2 days with PREMA Racing.
READ MORE – Why Haas recovery in F1 2025 is down to an ‘educated guess’
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