Oliver Bearman will drive for the Haas F1 team at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix next weekend, filling in for the suspended Kevin Magnussen.
Bearman, 19, will be making his second Formula One start after he filled in for an ill Carlos Sainz for Ferrari at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in March. He finished seventh.
Magnussen, 31, was suspended for the race in Baku, Azerbaijan. Penalty points he accrued in the Italian Grand Prix last Sunday, added to the points already on his record, triggered the ban.
Bearman, from Great Britain, has been driving the F2 circuit this season while also serving as a substitute for Haas and Ferrari. He also has been taking practice runs with Haas, with four of his scheduled six already complete.
“It’s definitely more of a challenge stepping in to race as a reserve driver, with limited prep time and so on, but I’m in the fortunate position of having done it earlier in the year with Ferrari, so I can at least call on that experience,” Bearman said Friday.
“I’ve also had four FP1 sessions with Haas in the VF-24 already this season, so undoubtedly that will also prove to be valuable in tackling the full race weekend in Baku. The team is in good form at the moment and I’ll do my best to be prepared with the time we have available. The aim is to get out there and have a solid weekend in Azerbaijan.”
In July, Haas announced Bearman as a full-time team driver next season. The current team of Nico Hulkenberg and Magnussen will not return. The former will drive for Sauber/Audi next year; Magnussen’s contract expires at the end of the season.
Bearman will team with Esteban Ocon next season.
Team principal Ayao Komatsu said Bearman will gain valuable experience.
“This is another excellent opportunity for both Ollie and the team to work together, this time throughout an entire race weekend, and he couldn’t ask for a better teammate than Nico to provide him with a reference,” he said.
–Field Level Media
