Haas has officially announced that Oliver Bearman will be stepping in to replace Kevin Magnussen for the upcoming Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Magnussen has received a one-race ban after accumulating 12 penalty points in the last year, leading to Bearman taking over the VF-24 alongside Nico Hulkenberg for the Azerbaijan race.
Bearman, who is set to partner Esteban Ocon at Haas next season, made a name for himself when he filled in for Carlos Sainz in Jeddah and finished 7th in his F1 debut.
“Stepping in as a reserve driver presents its own set of challenges, especially with limited preparation time,” said Bearman. “Luckily, I have previous experience from earlier this year with Ferrari, which I can draw upon. Additionally, having participated in four FP1 sessions with Haas this season will be beneficial in approaching the full race weekend in Baku.”
“The team is performing well and I will do my utmost to be ready in the time we have before the race weekend in Azerbaijan,” added Bearman. “My goal is to have a strong showing in Baku.”
“I’m thrilled that Ollie will be driving alongside Nico in the VF-24 in Baku,” said Ayao Komatsu. “He has shown great potential in his FP1 appearances and post-season testing, and his performance with Ferrari in Saudi Arabia was impressive. This presents a great opportunity for Ollie and the team to collaborate throughout an entire race weekend, with Nico providing valuable guidance as a teammate.”
