Komatsu explains why he is "not surprised" about Bearman's start at Haas

The young Brit showed his potential in the pinnacle of motorsport at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, replacing the ill Carlos Sainz on the day of qualifying at the Scuderia to then take a marvellous P7 in the Grand Prix a day later.

2025 then saw him make the full-time move to F1 to join Haas, and although he crashed out of the Australian Grand Prix on debut, back-to-back P10 finishes and the Chinese and Japanese Grands Prix have impressed many in the paddock, including his Japanese team boss.

However, Bearman's ability to give feedback about updates and changes to the VF-25 this campaign is something Komatsu is impressed by, although it is not new knowledge

"We knew that from last year," Komatsu said "This is a big part of the reason why we signed Ollie. We started working with him in Mexico in ‘23 when he was 18. It was impressive straight away, in that regard. And then last year, every time we worked with him, his feedback was accurate, he understood the program, and he understood the objectives.

"It is not just about driving fast. Of course, he can drive fast, but he really is able to digest or understand what's required of him and then execute the programme. Obviously, Melbourne was a completely uncharacteristic event, but I knew he could bounce back because he's done that before, and then the way he bounced back in Shanghai was amazing, and he pretty much carried on here. It's great, but we're not surprised. I'm not surprised because we knew how much potential he had," Komatsu concluded.