A lot occurred on the Mexico Metropolis Grand Prix that it was arduous to neglect the battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, the dramatic near-miss and controversial retirement, and the strain within the closing levels when Verstappen took on Charles Leclerc.
However I might argue that Oliver Bearman and Haas did simply that by ending fourth in a race the place nobody retired from the entrance.
Two years in the past, Bearman made his FP1 debut for Haas in Mexico Metropolis and instantly impressed Haas’ then-trackside engineering director Ayao Komatsu. Inside three months, Komatsu was staff principal, and a yr later Bearman was one in all his race drivers.
Komatsu’s efficiency in FP1 was actually excellent, particularly Bearman’s fast rise to hurry. The state of affairs was much like final yr in Brazil, when a younger Ferrari driver was referred to as up on brief discover to drive the automotive of an unwell Kevin Magnussen. The primary laps at Interlagos caught Komatsu’s consideration and it did not take lengthy for Bearman to make one other sturdy impression on Sunday.
“I used to be very, very impressed with (Bearman),” Komatsu mentioned. “On the primary lap, he managed to get via the chaos of Flip 1, Flip 2 and Flip 3, which occurs quite a bit right here, so he did it very nicely. After which Max (Verstappen) was behind us, so it was nice to have the ability to soak up the stress from Max and really draw back from Max.
“Then within the second stint we had been underneath stress once more from Mercedes – Mercedes, proper?! – and after that it was completely effective and we didn’t make any errors. I imagine we made the suitable determination within the second cease.”
“After the second cease, George (Russell) put loads of stress on us, after which (Oscar) Piastri got here in in the direction of the tip. They’re the highest drivers, they’re the highest staff, they drive a automotive that is barely sooner than us. However in as we speak’s race, we held our personal.”
“It is all about every thing, from the drivers to the engineers to the mechanics to the pit stops. I feel the two.2 second pit cease was the quickest of the yr. It is actually a staff effort. I am unable to inform you how glad everyone seems to be.”
There isn’t any want for a podium for the champagne celebration between Komatsu (left) and Bearman. Andy Horn/Getty Photographs
Bearman made his Ferrari debut in Saudi Arabia final yr and emerged as a future star, however he has needed to take care of the ups and downs of a full F1 season in 2025. Since his begin with Ferrari, he hasn’t had many alternatives to race towards top-four groups in much less aggressive automobiles, however he took full benefit of that in Mexico Metropolis.
“I had a great begin, bought in between the 2 Mercers and actually set some good tempo,” Bearman mentioned. “I used to be in a position to keep in DRS, George misplaced DRS after which Hamilton and Max got here collectively a little bit bit and I benefited from that too.
“To be trustworthy, I used to be scared to run alongside Max, but it surely was actually cool to go wheel-to-wheel with these guys that I have been watching ever since I began watching F1, and it was in all probability probably the most stress I’ve ever had in a race as a result of they have been within the mirror for thus lengthy.”
Bearman joked that he was aiming for Haas’ first podium when he ran P3 in his first stint, however his two-stop technique saved many of the automobiles at bay, with solely Verstappen clearing him with one cease. As an alternative, he needed to accept fourth place in what was Haas’ finest lead to F1 historical past. This statistic is akin to Romain Grosjean who was in Mexico. The Frenchman completed fourth at Haas in Austria seven years in the past and instructed Komatsu he anticipated Bearman to interrupt his 2018 report.
It was an aesthetic contact, and simply one of many many messages Komatsu acquired after the race as his rivals got here spherical to congratulate him on his end result.
Bearman’s present justified the choice to improve late to the Haas F1 VF-25 and offered an emotional payoff for these behind the scenes. Rudy Kaleseborg/Getty Photographs
The fast affect of Bearman’s fourth place and Esteban Ocon’s ninth place was to maneuver Haas into eighth place within the constructors’ championship (10 factors behind sixth-placed Racing Bulls). The broader affect was vindication of the choice to convey upgrades to Austin final weekend and reward for staff members who’ve contributed a lot all year long.
“When you don’t get emotional on a day like this, enamel Does it make you emotional? ” Komatsu admitted. “But it surely’s simply because every thing we have been via, how a lot effort you have put in day and evening, and the way you went via these low moments like Melbourne and the way everybody reacted, all of it comes again to you.
“Once I speak about it now, I get emotional once more. However I am actually glad. And it was an ideal drive for Esteban (Ocon) as nicely. He made it in a single cease and bought one other level for the staff.”
“Typically you lose and generally you win, however once you lose you respect what others have accomplished, like Nico (Hulkenberg)’s podium at Silverstone. Really, as a staff, we’re very glad for him, even when it is towards us. To be trustworthy, I feel this can be a nice, nice championship and a testomony to F1 as a complete.”
“I am actually glad for everybody on the staff, each women and men. They’re working very arduous. However the reality of life is that there are extra disappointments than glad moments. I am very happy with everybody as we speak. I am actually glad that we had been in a position to obtain this end result to encourage everybody on the staff.”
On a day when Lando Norris’ dominance adjustments the championship lead, it may very well be both the race winner or Piastri, the motive force Bearman was pulling away from till the flag, who involves Abu Dhabi and in the end feels the affect of the end result probably the most. However at the least on Sunday evening, it was Haas who was celebrating most enthusiastically.
