Haas F1 team principal Ayao Komatsu says he "doesn't see the ceiling" with Oliver Bearman as the British youngster propelled his team to an early fourth position in the constructors' standings.
Bearman was one of the standout rookies of the 2025 class, showing a vast rate of improvement after an up-and-down start with a more assured and consistent second half of the year, with fourth place in Mexico as his best result.
The 20-year-old picked up where he left off in 2026 so far, scoring 17 of Haas's 18 points courtesy of a seventh-place finish in Australia and fifth in China, followed by a frightful accident at the Japanese Grand Prix when he was caught out by the huge closing speeds with Alpine's Franco Colapinto.Bearman is also up on veteran team-mate Esteban Ocon in qualifying so far, leading 3-1 across the first three races as well as China's sprint qualifying session.
Speaking on the eve of the Japanese GP weekend, Haas team boss Komatsu said he had set the bar ever higher for Bearman after his solid debut campaign, but the Ferrari loanee's ceiling doesn't appear to be in sight just yet.
"Extremely impressive," Komatsu said. "But again, to be fair we set a very high bar for Ollie, right? Because every time he improves."
While Bearman's raw speed was never in doubt, Komatsu says the F1 sophomore is now becoming a more rounded package as a grand prix driver, which includes the rate at which he absorbs information and works with the team both trackside and in the factory.
"The way he can learn and improve so quickly is part of what makes him amazing. He always has this amazing speed. There's no doubt from day one. But I think the reason why I'm so excited is that I don't see the ceiling with him.
"Mexico last year was unbelievable. And the way he's been conducting himself throughout pre-season testing with brand-new regulations, working with the team, simulator and away from the track, has been really good.
"If you look at those two race weekends [in Melbourne and Shanghai], I would say faultless. Brilliant. And then the attitude, how he works with the engineers, execution... so, yeah, very, very pleased."
