Bearman and Ocon charm F1 fans with Hot Ones appearance as Haas team-mates

Haas team-mates Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon have become the latest Formula 1 drivers to take on the Hot Ones Versus challenge, earning widespread praise from fans after their appearance on the popular YouTube series. The duo faced a series of uncomfortable questions — with a fiery hot wing as the penalty for dodging them.

Among the prompts the pair had to navigate were ranking current and former team-mates, identifying who on the 2025 grid is most likely to retire before the season ends, and — perhaps most painfully for Ocon — declaring on camera that “NASCAR is better than F1”. The segment also featured a friendship test, a Scalextric race, and a blindfolded challenge in which both drivers had to identify F1 circuit layouts by touch alone.

Fans reacted enthusiastically across social media. “That was great. The current crop of young drivers is great. Tons of talent and great personality,” one viewer wrote on Reddit. On YouTube, another commented: “First Valtteri and Checo, now Ollie and Estie Bestie? I hope this is a running theme and we get all 11 teams!”

The moment that drew the most attention appeared to be Ocon’s candid assessment of his time at Alpine. “Ocon saying Alpine is the worst and Ollie almost choking is the best part of this video,” one fan noted. Others highlighted Ocon’s early struggles with the heat — “Esteban almost getting knocked out on the first wing is the most Esteban thing ever” — and praised the pair’s evident chemistry: “Haas team is so unproblematic, people have to make up drama. These two get along so well.”

The appearance comes during a promising stretch for Bearman on track. The young Briton currently sits ninth in the drivers’ championship with 18 points, while Ocon has managed just one point and sits 16th. Collectively, Haas occupies seventh in the constructors’ standings — two points behind Racing Bulls in sixth and 12 points clear of Williams in eighth.