Bearman to drive in FP1 for Haas

Haas team boss Ayao Komatsu has confirmed that Oliver Bearman will make his next practice outing with the squad at this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, adding to a recent run out in Imola.

Ferrari-backed Bearman is one of the hottest prospects in the paddock at present, having underlined his junior credentials with a starring stand-in performance for Ferrari at this year’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

A previous Italian and ADAC F4 Champion, and third-place finisher in F3, the 19 year old Brit is now tackling F2 alongside official F1 reserve driver duties for Ferrari and Haas.

While his current F2 campaign has been a rollercoaster ride so far, leaving him 13th in the standings after five rounds, however Bearman continues to impress when given the opportunity in F1 machinery.

He first appeared in FP1 for Haas at the 2023 Mexican and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix and sampled the VF-24 during the recent Emilia Romagna Grand Prix weekend.

Bearman, who is set to complete four more FP1 runs with Haas as the season goes on, will replace Nico Hulkenberg for the opening 60 minute session at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Haas are yet to confirm either of their two drivers for next season, with Hulkenberg heading to KIck Sauber and Kevin Magnussen attempting to extend his latest stint at the team into what would be a fourth campaign since returning to Haas in 2022.

Thanks to top-10 finishes in Saudi Arabia, Australia and China, Haas sit seventh in the constructors’ standings after nine of this year’s 24 scheduled rounds, 21 points behind RB and two ahead of Alpine.

Of course we are evaluating him. If he is not [under] consideration, we wouldn’t be running him in FP1, and the next time he’s going to be in the car is in Barcelona.

I don’t particularly have a timeframe, it’s more about getting the right driver for our team. We are still a pretty small team. To have somebody experienced, somebody who’s got a really good work ethic, to integrate with the team well and really push the team forward… that’s what we’re looking for, so we’re talking with several different drivers.
Komatsu on the drivers market and Ollie Bearman.