'Night and day difference' – Bearman praises Haas upgrades after encouraging Italian Grand Prix Friday performance

Ollie Bearman believes the upgrades Haas have brought to the Italian Grand Prix are proving to be a "night and day difference" compared with the team's performances earlier in the season.

Haas have brought their biggest upgrade of the season to Monza, including a new chassis and bodywork as the American team attempts to move closer to the midfield battle having slipped down the pecking order.

Bearman has failed to score since the Canadian Grand Prix back in May, while team mate Esteban Ocon last reached the points at the start of June in Monaco.

The run of six races without a single point scored has left Haas seventh in the teams' standings, well adrift of Racing Bulls and Alpine, with Audi just five points behind.

But the team's upgrades, along with an updated Ferrari engine for Bearman, have proved promising after Friday's running.

"It's been a good day, really positive. Definitely our best Friday probably since March or April, so that's really nice and a big boost for the team," said Bearman, who finished eighth fastest in Free Practice 2.

"Of course I got a good position on track and a good tow, that's not something we can guarantee come Qualifying but the feeling with the car is night and day difference. We've made a big step in that regard.

"I'm really proud of the team because we were hoping and needing this upgrade to be a step forward. Of course was never in doubt but I'm really proud for the execution of everybody in our team."

Bearman admitted that "the car is more predictable", stating that despite having less downforce on the car than at the previous round in Zandvoort, the VF-26 felt more stable through Monza's high-speed turns.

Head Of Car Engineering Hoagy Nidd added that while Ocon was not running Ferrari's upgraded engine, a sub-optimal run plan in FP2 meant the Frenchman could only finish P18.

"I don't think we've given Esteban the best platform to go and do his best lap time today," said Nidd.

"A lot of cars suffered with traffic at times. Our FP1 was a little bit messy, tripping up on other cars, and then in FP2 we had a bit of an issue with the rear-right corner of the car. That meant he didn't get his first run and that meant he wasn't really able to kick on through the session, but we'll get there."