After a week off, Formula 1 is back in action this week with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
At Haas, the week will offer a glimpse of the future as Oliver Bearman steps into the lineup, replacing Kevin Magnussen. Magnussen was hit with two penalty points for causing a collision with Pierre Gasly at the Italian Grand Prix, triggering a one-race ban.
For the young driver, this is his first chance at a full F1 weekend. While Bearman has participated in some FP1 sessions before and raced for Ferrari earlier this season, Azerbaijan is the first time he will have all three practice sessions under his belt before qualifying, and the Grand Prix itself.
It is a fact Bearman called “exciting” in the team’s media preview.
“I’m excited about getting back inside a Formula 1 car and competing in my first full weekend, I’ve done FP1s with the team, but to be able to build on that and actually do a full weekend is a really exciting prospect,” said Bearman.
Helping matters is his experience in Azerbaijan. During the 2023 F2 season, Bearman dominated the proceedings in Baku, winning both the F2 Sprint Race and the F2 Feature Race. That success has him ready to take on this weekend’s challenge.
“Last year I had a lot of success in Baku and it’s really one of my favorite tracks to compete at, so I’m really excited to get going. I’ve had time in the simulator, it’s definitely a challenging track, but not being a permanent circuit, the walls are very close and it’s tight in some places, especially the famous castle section,” added Bearman. “That’s another point to focus on, make sure to build up to speed, in an as measured way as possible. I’m happy I have a lot of laps in the car because this will be my first full weekend which I haven’t had the pleasure of having before.”
On the other side of the garage, Nico Hülkenberg pointed to the season’s schedule change. In years past the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was held in the spring, but with the schedule shifting the race to autumn, the veteran driver wonders what impact — if any — that may have.
“Baku is a quintessential street circuit; a very fast track with massive top speeds. There’s a couple of very long straights, and the narrow section in the old town – all in all, it’s a very challenging and intense lap on an exciting and thrilling circuit,” said Hülkenberg. “It’s the first time we’ll be going there in the Autumn, it usually used to be in Springtime, so let’s see if that changes anything.”
Haas is locked in a tight battle for sixth place in the F1 Constructors’ Championship, having trimmed that deficit to just six points thanks to Magnussen’s tenth-place finish in Monza.
Now, in a preview of their future, they’ll see if Bearman can help close that gap.
