Bearman: Ferrari Engine Upgrade a “Much Smaller Step” Than Haas Aero Package
Oliver Bearman has downplayed the impact of Ferrari’s ADUO 2 power unit upgrade, describing it as “a much smaller step” compared to the revised chassis Haas brought to the Italian Grand Prix. The Prancing Horse introduced its second and final power unit upgrade of the 2026 season under the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) system, supplying one such powertrain to Haas for the Monza round. The engine was fitted to Bearman’s VF-26.
Qualifying Progress Offset by Race-Day Struggles
The American squad showed slight progress in qualifying, with the British rookie securing 12th place—his best grid slot since the Chinese Grand Prix in March. However, Haas endured a seventh consecutive point-less round at Monza, equalling its worst streak since the 2021 season. Bearman briefly held eighth in the opening laps but slipped back as he could not match the pace of the Alpines and Racing Bulls. Having stayed out under the virtual safety car, he finished 15th.
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur had already tempered expectations, stating the ADUO 2 powertrain would not be a game changer. Bearman echoed that sentiment after qualifying.
“It’s a much smaller step than what the [aero] upgrade was, let’s say,” the 21-year-old commented. “Of course, there’s a bit more in this track, but in terms of a season average, it wouldn’t have been enough to get us out of the fight for Q1, to be honest, if you put that engine on us in Zandvoort. I don’t think it was a game changer.
“Of course, more power is always nice, but you’ve read the news about how much it is. It’s definitely beneficial, but the biggest step was the [aero] upgrade, which was more than twice or three times the amount of power we got from the engine – which is testament to the team’s hard work, and I’m really, really proud of them for that.”
Haas Aero Upgrade Details
The Haas upgrade for Monza featured a revamped floor and revised bodywork on the sidepods and engine cover. While Esteban Ocon did not receive the new power unit, he benefited from the aerodynamic parts. Nevertheless, the Frenchman ended up seven tenths slower than his teammate in Q2.
That gap does not equate to the engine deficit alone. Ocon has struggled with the VF-26’s aerodynamic inconsistency—an issue he believes has affected him at 10 of the 13 grands prix so far this year.
Ocon: “We Didn’t Get to the Bottom of the Issue”
Asked after qualifying if the car’s inconsistency had improved compared to practice, Ocon replied:
“No, it wasn’t, unfortunately. We tried everything we could, taking all the bits in the garage to put it on the car. We did everything that we could, but we didn’t get to the bottom of the issue.
“Unfortunately, we’re still losing a lot of load compared to Ollie, especially on the rear of the car. It’s not ideal, clearly, but the guys did a mega job by trying that.
“And I was happy with my lap, you know. At the end of the day, I feel like I did a strong lap, I was happy with it. But the deficit of downforce plus the engine losses, it’s quite a lot around here. So that’s the max that we could have done.”
The veteran driver did find a silver lining in the performance of the sister car: “They worked on Ollie’s side, yes, they did.”
Constructors’ Battle Tightens
Despite the aerodynamic step forward on Bearman’s car, both Haas entries finished behind the Audis. The German manufacturer now trails Haas by just five points in the constructors’ championship, setting up a close fight for the remainder of the season.
