Oliver Bearman has pointed to upgrades implemented on Haas car from last month's British Grand Prix for bringing his confidence to new heights in his maiden F1 season.
Haas made numerous tweaks to the VF-25 prior to the weekend at Silverstone, revising the floor and sidepod inlets for improved performance.
These upgrades immediately proved fruitful for Bearman, who lined up in a personal best P8 on the grid for the race. These were followed up with seventh on the grid and across the line for the Belgium Sprint.
Unfortunately, the British youngster hasn't scored points on a Sunday since the Bahrain Grand Prix over four months ago, but nevertheless he is feeling more confident than ever behind the wheel of his Haas car.
Getting into The Groove
Bearman stated that a dramatic shift occurred in his driving after the Silverstone upgrades, claiming that he was able to extract more out of himself and the car after the tweaks were made.
He said: "I haven't found my confidence until we brought the Silverstone upgrade to the car.
"Since then, I've had a really good feeling, and I've been able to replicate that feeling - and that's crazy.
"You can't describe it, but you chase it, you chase it, you chase it and when you can have it, it's very special.
"It's a car that I feel fully comfortable in. Of course, I tried to feel as comfortable as possible in the previous car, but it's difficult when the balance is tough. Now we've managed to replicate that and from now, I think we can do a lot with this car," Bearman stated.
With the summer break coming to a close, the 20-year-old hopes that the good feeling in the driving seat will continue at the Dutch Grand Prix and beyond.
He continued: "I hope we can replicate the feeling that I've had in the previous two races.
"In both qualifying and in the race, there's been a few shortcomings from both sides: Silverstone I had a penalty, Spa we simply missed out on opportunities.
"But clearly, the car has pace, so there is a lot of potential there. Step by step, we're going to improve and get better. I hope we can keep up this level of performance, and then I think we can score some good points going into the second half of the season," concluded the Haas driver.
Bearman currently sits 19 points behind his teammate Esteban Ocon in the Standings. Meanwhile, Haas are ninth in the Constructors' Championship in a tight midfield battle. Can they climb up the order in the second half of the season?
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