Oliver Bearman addresses 'huge deal' as Haas prepare for new F1 regulations

Oliver Bearman has said that the new Formula 1 regulations bring a "huge deal of excitement" for him ahead of his second season with Haas.

On Monday afternoon, Haas unveiled the livery for its 2026 challenger—the VF-26—which Bearman will hope to use to make further progress after his debut season.

For the first time in the Briton's F1 career, Bearman is preparing for a major regulations change, with the power unit featuring a 50/50 split between electrical power and internal combustion.

It is a significant year for Bearman, who is pushing for a Ferrari seat potentially as early as 2027, should Lewis Hamilton retire from the pinnacle of motorsport.

Bearman made huge strides during his rookie campaign but enters 2026 with 10 penalty points on his super licence, putting him at severe risk of a possible race ban.

Points will not be removed from the 20-year-old's licence until the Canadian Grand Prix in mid-May, creating a significant obstacle across the opening rounds.

Nevertheless, it is a time of great excitement for Bearman, who cannot wait to get stuck into the new regulations.

"I feel these changes are the biggest in the history of Formula 1, so with that is a huge deal
of excitement for me," said Bearman. "I'm heading into a regulation change for the first time in my life, really.

"Last year was a big step for me, but I think even from the beginning, we knew that if we put
the car in the right window, we were still going to be able to fight for points, and we had an
idea of the competitiveness of the car.

"That lack of knowledge heading into 2026 is good and bad, as on one side I feel like we can
really have an impact straight away, but also it's horrible not knowing. 

"I would like to skip forward six months to see where we are, but I'm going to be giving it everything to make sure that where we are is as high up as possible."