Formula 1 silly season refuses to die quietly, and as Motorsport.com reports, the latest victim of pure internet fiction is Haas F1 Team driver Oliver Bearman. With Esteban Ocon heading for the exit door to make way for Formula 2 frontrunner Rafael Camara next season, an information vacuum opened up regarding Bearman's 2027 future. Into that void stepped an amateur blogger claiming insider knowledge, spinning a wild yarn that Bearman's management was demanding a cool €6million fee to secure his signature. Unsubstantiated, copied, pasted, and amplified by social media influencers, the fabricated figure quickly mutated into accepted gospel across the digital paddock.
Naturally, Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu didn't mince words when confronted with the rumor during the FIA's Friday press conference ahead of the Mexico Grand Prix weekend. "Can you clarify, do you understand where that comes from? No? Exactly. Neither do I," Komatsu fired back, visibly irritated by the invention.
I don't like to go into the details of our contract, but Ollie is showing amazing potential,
Komatsu pointed out the sheer absurdity of the ecosystem, noting that people simply chase likes and clicks without checking sources, letting repetition masquerade as truth. He even recalled an equally fictitious past claim of a non-existent argument with Esteban Ocon in Miami to highlight how easily fabricated stories take flight. "This one, again, I don't know who smoked up this €6million number," Komatsu said. "The first time I saw it was on Instagram or something that Stu forwarded to me. I was just like, 'Oh great, somebody thought this is a good thing to stir whatever up'. I have no comment to make because it's just not even close to the truth."
Reality, as it turns out, is far more strategic than a blogger's fever dream. Motorsport.com understands that the real friction behind the delayed agreement stems from Ferrari insiders revealing that Bearman's camp is pushing hard for guarantees of a Scuderia race seat for 2028, operating on the expectation that Lewis Hamilton will hang up his helmet.
Complicating matters further is the arrival of Rafael Camara at Haas, which instantly sets up a direct intra-team rivalry for any potential future opening in red. Every weekend of delay is a chance for Camara to bank valuable experience. Yet Komatsu remains focused on the bigger picture for the machine under his command, praising Bearman's immense potential and contributions.
"I don't like to go into the details of our contract, but Ollie is showing amazing potential," Komatsu stated. "He's contributing a lot to the team's success and we want to grow together. We want to move up the grid as a team. So, first and foremost we need a competitive car for '27. It's not going to be an easy challenge because in '26 we made a mistake, so that's paying the price for '27 as well. But our focus is really to maximize everything under our control, really trying to roll out a competitive '27 car."
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