There was so much going on in the Mexico City Grand Prix that it was hard to overshadow the battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, the dramatic near-misses and controversial retirements, and the tension of the closing laps as Verstappen reeled in Charles Leclerc.
But in finishing fourth in a race where nobody starting ahead of them retired, I’d argue Oliver Bearman and Haas did just that.
Two years’ ago, Bearman made his FP1 debut for Haas in Mexico City and immediately impressed then-Haas trackside engineering director Ayao Komatsu. Within three months, Komatsu was the team principal and, a year later, Bearman was one of his race drivers.
The FP1 appearance really stood out for Komatsu, particularly how quickly Bearman got up to speed. It was similar to Brazil last year when the Ferrari young driver was called upon at late notice to drive the unwell Kevin Magnussen’s car – his first lap of Interlagos catching Komatsu’s eye – and it didn’t take Bearman long on Sunday to make another strong early impression.
“Very, very impressed [with Bearman],” Komatsu said. “Lap 1, he managed to get through that mess in Turn 1, Turn 2, Turn 3, which is often the case here. So he’s done that very well. And then later, Max [Verstappen] was behind us. So to absorb that pressure from Max and actually pull away from Max was fantastic.
“Then in the second stint, again, we had the pressure from Mercedes – Mercedes, right?! –- and then we are absolutely fine, didn’t make any mistakes. We made the right call, I believe, for the second stop.
“After the second stop, George [Russell] was pressuring us a lot. Then towards the end, [Oscar] Piastri. Those guys are top drivers, top teams, driving slightly faster cars than us. But today in the race, we held our own.
“It’s just the whole thing, from drivers to engineers to mechanics to the pit stop – 2.2-second pit stop, I think, which is the fastest we have done this year – it’s just a whole team effort. I just cannot express how happy I am for everyone.”
No podium needed for a a champagne celebration by Komatsu (left) and Bearman. Andy Hone/Getty Images
Bearman marked himself out as a future star with his debut appearance for Ferrari in Saudi Arabia last year, but in 2025 he’s had to deal with the ups and downs of a full season in F1. In less-competitive machinery, he hasn’t had many opportunities to fight with the top-four teams since his Ferrari outing, but he took full advantage in Mexico City.
