Haas confirm whether Oliver Bearman will race in Brazil after last minute call-up
Callum McAvoyPublished Nov 1, 2024, 9:27pm|Updated Nov 1, 2024, 9:40pm
Oliver Bearman will race in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in Brazil, replacing the ill Kevin Magnussen, Haas have confirmed.
The British teenager, who is set to join Haas full-time in 2025, was called up at the last minute by the American Formula 1 team on Friday with Magnussen ‘suffering with sickness’.
It was announced that the 19-year-old would take part in free practice and sprint qualifying on Friday, followed by the sprint race on Saturday.
The team left it open for Magnussen to return for qualifying and the main race itself, which gets underway Sunday, 5pm UK time, but they have now confirmed the Dane is too ill to drive.
‘Following Ollie stepping into the VF-24 for today’s sessions due to Kevin’s sickness, we can confirm that the British driver will now complete the full #BrazilGP weekend with the team,’ Haas confirmed in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter.
‘We wish Kevin a full and speedy recovery.’
Bearman qualified tenth for the sprint, which takes place at 2pm UK time on Saturday, two places ahead of Nico Hulkenberg.
It is the third time this season that Bearman has had to fill in for another driver having done so for Carlos Sainz in Saudi Arabia when the Ferrari star underwent appendicitis and in Azerbaijan when Magnussen was suspended.
He scored points at both races, leaving him 17th of 23 drivers in the standings despite his limited appearances.
Asked for his reaction after qualifying in P10, a beaming Bearman said: ‘The car was feeling really good all day, honestly,.
‘From the first lap I did in Q1 I had a great feeling. I’m happy to be in SQ3 and finally make it to the third stage of a qualifying session.
‘I just did a little mistake in Sector 1, which cost me a lot of time. The rest of the lap was really, really good, so I’m a bit disappointed.’
On the moment he found out he would be stepping into the car again, Bearman joked: ‘Ayao [Komatsu, Haas Team Principal] woke me up this morning at like 6:30am with his call.
‘When I saw his name, I wasn’t so mad. If it was my mum or something, not realising the time difference, I would have been a bit more angry!
‘Of course, I give my best to Kevin, because I know he’s feeling bad and he has had a lot of success on this track – he did pole here. But, of course, I’m very happy to jump back in the F1 car and it’s always a pleasure.’
It was announced back in July that Bearman will become an F1 driver full-time next season, with the rookie set to partner Esteban Ocon.
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