Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu has rejected suggestions that Oliver Bearman’s demand for a €6 million annual salary is delaying a new contract. Speaking at the FIA press conference in Mexico City on October 30, he called the claim “absolute nonsense” and said it was nowhere near the truth. Komatsu reiterated that both parties want to work together in 2027, but announced no agreement and declined to explain the specific reason for the delay.
A denial of the figure, without contract details
His response separated the circulating salary claim from the confidential terms of the actual negotiations. Asked about Bearman’s wish for an announcement, Komatsu said their intentions were fully aligned and they were seeking a way to continue together. When pressed on the €6 million figure, he said he had first seen it in social-media material forwarded to him and criticised the repeated circulation of unchecked claims.
Komatsu’s case for retaining Bearman centred on his contribution to the team. He said the driver had possessed speed from the outset, with further development coming in consistent delivery, motivation and leadership. During the team’s difficult mid-season period, he explained, Bearman could drive well and still finish 13th or 14th, yet continued to encourage those around him.
The press conference also addressed Haas’s relationship with Ferrari. Komatsu stressed that the teams have different owners and do not operate a shared driver programme like Red Bull and Racing Bulls. The partnership opens access to young drivers, but Ferrari had not instructed Haas to give Bearman a race seat, he said. Discussing Rafael Câmara, he described a process of talks, a test in an older car and a decision made after Haas had assessed his speed.
INKA SPORTS analysis: access to drivers and the decision to sign them
Together, those answers provide more useful context than an argument over a reported salary figure. Komatsu endorsed Bearman while emphasising Haas’s own evaluation and selection process. A Ferrari connection can create an opportunity to meet and test a driver; it does not itself make Haas’s race-seat decision. Likewise, a shared desire to continue is a starting point for an agreement, not evidence that every term has been settled.
Komatsu also linked the partnership’s prospects to the 2027 car. Haas first needs a competitive package, he said, acknowledging that mistakes in 2026 were also exacting a cost in its work for the following year. The team would focus on what it could control and hoped to have Bearman alongside it. That sets out a practical objective beyond the unverified salary figure: turning a driver’s consistent contribution and the team’s effort into a more competitive car.
Conclusion: shared ambitions still need a contract and a competitive car
The clear development from the press conference is therefore the team principal’s rejection of the salary claim and renewed confirmation of both sides’ intentions. He also clarified Haas’s approach to recruitment: use partnerships to create opportunities, then make decisions through its own testing and assessment. A formal agreement and progress with the car will determine the 2027 arrangement. His optimism did not disclose the contract’s duration, value or announcement date.
