Photo: LAT Photo
Formula 2 racer Ollie Bearman has been called up by Haas to race in Formula 1’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix next weekend, subsitituting for Kevin Magnussen.
Haas signed Bearman as one of its reserve drivers this February, having earned the same role with Ferrari a few days prior, then in July the team announced he would be promoted to a race seat in 2025.
Between those two points, Bearman has made his F1 debut with Ferrari at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as a mid-weekend stand-in for Carlos Sainz Jr, who had been ruled out of action by appendicitis. Despite missing the first two practice sessions in Jeddah, Bearman was able to qualify 11th and finish seventh.
This time he is making an F1 cameo due to Magnussen collecting 12 penalty points on his race license, which triggers an automatic one-race ban.
“It’s definitely more of a challenge stepping in to race as a reserve driver, with limited preparation 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,” said Bearman.
“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.”
Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu added. “This is another excellent opportunity for both Ollie and the team to work together, this time throughout an entire race weekend.”
Bearman’s sophomore F2 campaign has not met expectations, after coming sixth in the championship as a rookie last year, as he currently lies 14th in the standings. He has won two sprint races, including last time out at Monza.
While his Prema team was unable to replace him in Jeddah due to the last-minute nature of his F1 call-up, this time the team is in a position to find a driver to fill Bearman’s seat for the F2 races in Baku supporting the Azerbaijan GP.