Oliver Bearman confirmed to replace Kevin Magnussen for Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Haas F1 Team have confirmed that Oliver Bearman will replace Kevin Magnussen for the upcoming Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The Briton will take part in his second Formula 1 race weekend having replaced Carlos Sainz at Ferrari earlier this year at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, where he finished seventh and claimed points on debut.

Magnussen will miss the Baku round as a result of a penalty points suspension he reached following contact with Pierre Gasly during the Italian Grand Prix weekend at Monza.

It means Bearman will not participate with PREMA Racing in the Formula 2 events in Baku across the weekend.

Speaking about his opportunity to race with the team he'll drive for full-time in 2025, Bearman said: “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.

"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.”

Haas Team Principal Ayao Komatsu added: “I’m excited that Ollie will be driving the VF-24 alongside Nico in Baku. He’s already shown great promise in his FP1 outings and post-season test, and he performed very well when he drove for Scuderia Ferrari in Saudi Arabia, picking up points in the process. This is another excellent opportunity for both Ollie and the team to work together, this time throughout an entire race weekend, and he couldn’t ask for better teammate than Nico to provide him with a reference.”