Komatsu unbothered by Ferrari interest in Bearman
Ollie Bearman has been a standout performer in 2026 for Haas so far, but the Briton has strong links with Ferrari. Haas Team Principal Ayao Komatsu believes there is "no point worrying" about potentially losing Ollie Bearman to Ferrari in future as the young Briton continues to impress in Formula 1.
Ollie Bearman has emerged as one of the revelations of the 2026 season, but Haas Team Principal Ayao Komatsu says he isn’t losing sleep over possible Ferrari interest in the young Brit.
The 20-year-old opened the year strongly with seventh and fifth-place finishes in the first two Grands Prix, continuing momentum from a promising second half of his rookie 2025 campaign that featured a fourth place in Mexico City. Bearman sits seventh in the Drivers’ Championship, notably ahead of both Red Bull drivers and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly.
Komatsu has been impressed by what he has seen. “I haven’t seen his limit yet,” he told Beyond The Grid, adding that Bearman has “huge, huge potential.”
Bearman’s ties to Ferrari are well documented: he previously belonged to the Ferrari Driver Academy and made his F1 debut for the Scuderia at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, filling in for Carlos Sainz after the Spaniard was sidelined with appendicitis. Haas also run Ferrari power units in the VF-26, and Bearman’s rise — which included finishing ahead of Esteban Ocon in the 2025 standings — has only fuelled speculation about a move to Maranello.
Despite those links, Komatsu’s focus is on what Haas can control. “There’s no point worrying about it,” he said. “I’m a strong believer in controlling what you can control. Ferrari has invested in him for many years. We’ve got him last year and this year, so we’ve got to concentrate on our job. If we do such a good job with Ollie that Ferrari wants him afterwards, we should be proud — it means we developed him well.”
He stressed that any transfer would be a matter for discussions between the two teams, but reiterated Haas’ priority: extracting the best performance from both car and driver this season. “If that meant we lost him next year, hopefully not. But that’s not something we can control.”
Haas’ early-season form has them fourth in the Constructors’ Championship, leading the midfield and holding a slender two-point advantage over Alpine and Red Bull.
Sports World Zone Staff
Writing on Formula 1
