Haas F1 Team has announced that British teenager Oliver Bearman will replace suspended Dane Kevin Magnussen for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix next weekend. Magnussen received a one-race suspension after accumulating 12 penalty points in a 12-month period, a consequence of a collision with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly during the Italian Grand Prix. This is the first time a driver has received such a sanction since the penalty system was introduced ten years ago.
Bearman, who is part of the Ferrari Driver Academy, will partner with Nico Hulkenberg for the race. The 19-year-old has previous experience stepping in for a race, having replaced Carlos Sainz at Ferrari in Saudi Arabia earlier this season when Sainz was hospitalized with appendicitis. Bearman finished seventh in that race.
“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 Scuderia Ferrari, so I can at least call on that experience,” said Bearman. “I’ve also had four FP1 sessions with Haas F1 Team in the VF-24 already this season, so undoubtedly that will also prove to be valuable in tackling the full race weekend in Baku.”
Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu expressed excitement about Bearman’s opportunity, saying, “I’m excited that Ollie will be driving the VF-24 alongside Nico in Baku. This is another excellent opportunity for both Ollie and the team to work together, this time throughout an entire race weekend.”
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix takes place on April 28th to 30th in Baku. This will be an exciting opportunity for Bearman to showcase his skills on a demanding street circuit.
