Is the Haas boss struggling to hide a secret about Bearman's future?

Haas' boss, Ayao Komatsu, has once again expressed his delight about Oliver Bearman as the young Brit stepped into the car during the first free practice session for the Spanish Grand Prix. He refused to confirm whether the driver will be joining the team in 2025, but smiled and acknowledged how impressed he was with his talents.

Bearman, who seems likely to take a Haas seat next season, completed another one of the mandatory rookie practice sessions for Haas. The Brit had a smooth session and completed 29 laps, though he did finish slightly behind Kevin Magnussen.

Reports at the Canadian Grand Prix suggested that Bearman has already signed for Haas for 2025. Then, Komatsu suggested that they were opting for youth and experience in their driver lineup. This week, the Japanese boss smiled and struggled to contain his excitement when praising Bearman on Sky Sports.

"Not only is he a pleasure to work with, he's got talent, his attitude is spot on, he's very, very engaged, and understands what he needs to achieve in every single session. 100% a pleasure to work with. For next year I can't say much at this stage, but what I can say is he's a really good guy to work with," Komatsu said.

"He's done an excellent job this [Friday] morning. He managed to do all of the runs. His feedback was really good. He always understands the context he's in. So it's very impressive again."

Bearman will continue driving this weekend, but not in Formula 1. He will compete in Formula 2. In qualifying, the Brit struggled and could only manage P15.