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Oliver Bearman believes Ferrari’s second and final 2026 power-unit upgrade delivered a noticeably smaller gain than Haas’ latest aerodynamic package, despite providing a modest improvement at the Italian Grand Prix.
The upgrade was introduced through the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities system, with one Ferrari power unit supplied to Haas for Monza and fitted to Bearman’s car. The British driver qualified 12th, his best result since the Chinese Grand Prix in March, but Haas still left the circuit without points for a seventh consecutive race.
That result underlined the limits of the new engine. Bearman briefly ran eighth during the opening laps before falling behind the Alpines and Racing Bulls. A decision not to pit during the virtual safety car ultimately left him 15th at the chequered flag.
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur had already warned that the ADUO 2 powertrain would not be a game changer. Bearman reached the same conclusion after qualifying, drawing a clear distinction between the engine and Haas’ revised VF-26 package.
“It's a much smaller step than what the [aero] upgrade was, let's say,” Bearman said. “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.”
He added that the engine’s benefit remained worthwhile, but said the aerodynamic work represented more than twice or three times the power gain achieved by the upgraded unit. Haas’ Monza package included a revamped floor and revised sidepod and engine-cover bodywork. The scale of that step had already been evident during Ferrari’s strong opening Monza practice.
Esteban Ocon received the new aerodynamic components but not the ADUO 2 engine. He qualified seven tenths slower than Bearman in Q2, although that gap was not evidence that Ferrari’s power unit alone was worth seven tenths.
Ocon said the Haas remained inconsistent, particularly at the rear, an issue he believed had affected him at 10 of the first 13 grands prix. Despite trying different configurations and components, the team could not identify the cause of the lost load.
“The deficit of downforce plus the engine losses, it's quite a lot around here,” Ocon said, describing his qualifying lap as the maximum available. He nevertheless confirmed that the aerodynamic upgrades worked on Bearman’s car.
Both Haas drivers finished behind Audi at Monza, leaving the German manufacturer only five points behind in the constructors’ championship.
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.