Ocon is feeling the pressure as Bearman spearheads Haas' efforts.

      "It's a challenge to have both drivers perform well."

      Esteban Ocon is facing significant pressure at Haas, as the team is engaged in a lucrative battle for sixth place in the constructors’ standings, with rookie Oliver Bearman contributing nearly all the points. In the last four grand prix, Haas has outperformed their direct competitors and enters the final three races with genuine momentum after a successful major upgrade in Austin. The financial difference between sixth and ninth in the championship is estimated to be around $27 million. However, the points are primarily coming from just one car.

      Of the last 24 points earned by Haas, Bearman has accounted for 22. The 29-year-old Frenchman has not finished ahead of the 20-year-old Briton since the Silverstone race in July. "It’s a challenge to get both drivers to deliver," team principal Ayao Komatsu stated in Las Vegas. "Esteban himself acknowledges that he didn’t maximize his qualifying performance last time. We need both drivers scoring - we are fully capable of that."

      Bearman has reached Q3 in the last four races, while Ocon has experienced three Q1 eliminations during the same timeframe. Haas is confident they can realistically contend for sixth place if both cars perform well, with the VF-25 showing strong capabilities in slow corners and significantly improved performance in fast sections since the latest updates. "We’ve lost points at the end of the season for the last two years. That shouldn’t happen this time," technical director Andrea de Zordo told Auto Motor und Sport.

      There is one complicating factor; Bearman has accumulated nine penalty points on his license, with 12 points resulting in an automatic race ban.