Bearman to replace banned Magnussen in Azerbaijan
Britain’s Ollie Bearman will jump into the Haas seat for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, replacing Kevin Magnussen. The Danish driver received a one race ban after accumulating the maximum 12 penalty points on his Super License.
Magnussen accrued several violations over the past year of racing, the latest occurring at the most recent race in Monza. The Dane was given a 10 second penalty and two penalty points for touching wheels with Pierre Gasly of Alpine when attempting an overtaking manoeuvre.
Bearman steps in to race for the second time this season, the first being at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix in March for Ferrari. The Brit replaced an ill-struck Carlos Sainz and scored points with a seventh-place finish. This is the first time since 2020 that a driver has raced for two teams in the same season after George Russell turned out for both Williams and Mercedes.
The race weekend provides an opportunity for Bearman to acclimatise himself in the Haas car at the highest level, with the Briton set to compete for the team full-time in 2025 alongside Esteban Ocon. Bearman currently combines racing in F2 with reserve driver duties for both Haas and Ferrari.
Magnussen will be able to resume with Haas at the following race in Singapore. The Danish driver is currently without a team for 2025.
“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 MoneyGram 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. 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.”
Kevin Magnussen (left) and Sergio Perez
words: Mike Booth
pictures: Ferrari & Red Bull
video: Sky Sports F1