Oliver Bearman hints Haas sit in a falsely high position at Japanese GP

Oliver Bearman feels his top 10 result in the Japanese Grand Prix wasn’t on pure pace, but suggested that Haas still deserved to finish inside the points.

F1 rookie Bearman successfully made it through Q3 in qualifying and then held his position in a processional race on Sunday, scoring the final championship point in 10th.

It was an important result for Haas at the high-downforce Suzuka circuit, where the team had previously struggled.

The American squad had even fast-tracked a floor update for Japan to combat the aero oscillation issue that it suffered in Australia, despite being aware of the “catastrophic” risks it carried.

Asked if Haas had made a genuine step in performance or if the result was more down to circumstances, Bearman told F1’s official website: “Well it was definitely tough to overtake today but I didn't see anyone in my rear views that close. So it was not out of position let's say.

“Maybe an RB or a Williams maybe would have been faster than me if they qualified where they should have.

“I think we are not quite here on merit. I don't think we are the fifth-fastest car at the moment.

“But if I can put a clean qualifying lap and put the car there then it looks like we can hold on to it. Our race pace seems really strong. A few more good quali laps and then we will see where we are.”

Bearman said he knew Red Bull’s new hire Yuki Tsunoda had the potential to deny him a points finish in Japan.

But after starting 14th on the grid, Tsunoda was never able to make enough inroads in a race that featured little overtaking, allowing Bearman to ease to 10th place.

“After a few laps I realised we didn't have the pace to fight the guys in front and the guys behind me really didn't have the pace to fight me,” said the Briton.

“My only fear was Tsunoda who was only in a faster car coming through, but it was really tough to overtake today.

“I did tell them[ the team], ‘Let's try and do anything crazy, not try and undercut too far’. In the end this is our pace, this is where we should finish.

“It's a bit of a bad feeling to almost give up points but I felt like P10 is our maximum today, so let's just hold on to it.

“We did a really good job with strategy, with pitstops and I was just managing my gaps and everything. It was a bit boring honestly but that's okay.”