This weekend, Oliver Bearman will step into Kevin Magnussen’s Haas, as the Dane sits out the Azerbaijan Grand Prix due to an accumulation of penalty points over the past year. This marks Bearman’s second stand-in appearance this season. The young Brit aims to seize this opportunity to prepare for his upcoming debut with the American racing team. He is officially set to leap into Formula 1 in 2025.
In early March, the world was introduced to Oliver Bearman, a Formula 2 driver and reserve driver for Ferrari. The young Englishman filled in for Carlos Sainz during the race weekend in Saudi Arabia, as Sainz was suffering from appendicitis. Half a year has passed since his successful debut with Scuderia, yet Oliver Bearman remains in the spotlight. After several free practice sessions with the Haas team, it is now confirmed that he will join the American racing team from 2025 onwards.
Oliver Bearman Steps in for Suspended Kevin Magnussen in Upcoming Azerbaijan GP
During the upcoming GP in Azerbaijan, we can once again enjoy the performance of Oliver Bearman, who is stepping in for the suspended Kevin Magnussen. Although these are not the best circumstances, it provides an opportunity for the British talent to prepare for next year. “It’s always good to be on the grid,” Bearman said during a press conference on Thursday. “In addition, I now have more preparation time than in Saudi Arabia; I can now participate in all free practice sessions. The goal is to have a nice and tight weekend – a great opportunity to prepare for next year.”
A New Leap into the Deep
The 19-year-old driver did not expect to be back in a Formula 1 car so soon. “I was mainly focused on next year,” he admitted. “In the back of my mind, I knew this could happen, despite the fact that Magnussen managed to avoid penalty points for a long time.” Bearman, of course, wants to ‘grab this opportunity with both hands’, although Baku is not his favorite circuit to step in. “It’s a treacherous track – if I had to choose two races to step in at the beginning of this year, it wouldn’t have been Jeddah and Baku,” he laughed.
The jump from Formula 2 to Formula 1 is logical, but according to Oliver Bearman, you can never fully prepare for the premier class. “Formula 2 is of course the closest, but it remains a leap into the deep,” he explained. “The grip and aerodynamics of these cars are on a completely different level, allowing you to try out completely new things.”
