Bearman Admits Haas Is Now Formula 1's '10th Best Team'

Oliver Bearman has offered a frank admission that Haas has slipped to the rear of the Formula 1 field, describing the squad as currently the "10th best team" on the grid. The American outfit enjoyed a strong opening to the 2026 regulation cycle, scoring points in five of the first six races, but has since gone five consecutive grands prix without adding to its tally as rivals have surged ahead with relentless development.

Why it matters:

Bearman's candor highlights a fundamental challenge facing F1's independent teams. While Haas proved it could build a competitive baseline car under the new rules, its inability to keep pace with the development arms race has undone that early promise. As a privateer with the smallest budget on the grid, the team is now paying the price for its resource deficit at the exact moment in a regulation cycle when continuous upgrades matter most.

The details:

• Early Promise Fades: Haas scored consistently through the opening rounds of 2026, with Bearman even passing both Racing Bulls in Australia and pulling away. That level of performance is now "a dream," according to the Briton, with the team struggling to match the midfield pace.
• Upgrade Drought: The team's last major upgrade package arrived in Montreal back in May. Since then, the development curve has flattened while competitors have pressed on. Bearman noted that while Haas's updates work when they arrive, the frequency is the problem.
• Resource Gap: Bearman quantified the disparity starkly, estimating that while rivals can introduce upgrades every three races, Haas can only manage one every nine races. He pointed to Red Bull's dramatic evolution between Japan and Miami as an example of what bigger-budget operations can achieve.
• Rivals Pull Away: At the Hungarian Grand Prix, Aston Martin brought substantial chassis upgrades that propelled both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll ahead of the Haas entries. Aston Martin is also set to introduce an updated Honda engine at Zandvoort, widening the gap further.

What's next:

With Aston Martin advancing and even struggling teams like Williams bringing parts more regularly, Haas faces a bleak remainder of the season. Bearman acknowledged the team is only ahead of newcomer Cadillac in raw performance, and without a major influx of resources or a shift in development strategy, clawing back lost ground before the end of 2026 appears unlikely. The situation underscores a familiar pattern for the squad: a quick car out of the box, but not enough in the toolbox to keep it there.