The McLaren drivers may have fought a season-long battle for the world championship but another pair of team mates ended the year even closer together.

But Esteban Ocon’s best finish for over six months in the final race of the season wasn’t enough for him to save face against his rookie team mate.

In the first year for both drivers at Haas, rookie Oliver Bearman beat the former Alpine driver by three points. It was an impressive comeback after a tough start to his first full season as an F1 driver.

Bearman had a rough opening weekend in Melbourne, starting at the back of the grid after a crash and a spin during practice. Although he redeemed himself next time with points for eighth place, Ocon delivered an excellent fifth place, outstripping anything the team managed the previous season.

Bearman scored Haas’s best result of 2025

After tenth places in each of the next two races, Bearman went 10 rounds without adding to his points tally in a grand prix. This was despite him increasingly holding the upper hand over Ocon in qualifying. On the few occasions the more experienced hand came out ahead, the difference between them was measured in hundredths.

So when Haas introduced late upgrades for their VF-25, Bearman was best placed to capitalise on them in the congested midfield. Sixth place at Zandvoort was already a welcome tonic, but what followed at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez was inspired.

Ninth on the grid was already one of Bearman’s better qualifying performances, but he gained ground from there and grabbed a rare opportunity to pass Max Verstappen and George Russell. The Red Bull driver got back ahead but Bearman impressively held the Mercedes drivers and Oscar Piastri behind to the finish.

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Meanwhile Ocon was finding it increasingly difficult to get on the right side of the razor-thin margins between Q1 and Q2. Over the final nine rounds he only led Bearman home twice, though the final round in Yas Marina looked like a breakthrough.

Ocon was at a loss to explain his lack of pace on Friday while Bearman raved about his car’s handling. But come Saturday, Bearman stumbled in qualifying while Ocon grabbed a place in the top 10 and brought the car home seventh. It wasn’t quite enough to ensure he beat Bearman, but it was a minor redemption at the end of an increasingly tough season.

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Unrepresentative comparisons omitted. Negative value: Ocon was faster; Positive value: Bearman was faster

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