Haas tell Oliver Bearman what’s ‘off the table’ after Baku following Kevin Magnussen promise

Follow us on Google Discover

Kevin Magnussen has become the first driver since Romain Grosjean in 2012 to receive a Formula 1 race ban.

Pierre Gasly was the latest driver to clash with Kevin Magnussen and when his Haas car made contact with the Frenchman’s Alpine, it was decided that the collision warranted adding two more penalty points to his license.

That meant the Dane reached the magic 12-point tally and so he’ll be sitting out of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Gasly was left aghast by the decision to ban Magnussen for their incident as both drivers carried on and didn’t suffer any damage.

READ MORE: Haas driver Kevin Magnussen’s life outside F1 from wife and daughters to net worth

Aside from that incident, Magnussen drove a brilliant race, delivering a precious point for Haas despite dealing with a 10-second penalty.

It means that Oliver Bearman will race for Haas for the first time in Baku in Magnussen’s place ahead of his rookie season with the team in 2025.

The British teenager hasn’t had the easiest time in Formula 2 this season but he impressed when he deputised for Carlos Sainz at short notice for Ferrari in Jeddah.

A report from The Race has outlined Bearman’s upcoming second race on the grid and the impact it could have on his future.

While some may argue that Haas should accelerate Bearman’s Formula 1 promotion and replace Magnussen now, that doesn’t appear to be an option.

Oliver Bearman racing for Haas for the rest of the 2024 F1 season is ‘off the table’

Bearman has already signed a contract to race for Haas in 2025 alongside Esteban Ocon who will be joining from Alpine.

At the time of writing, it’s the only completely new pairing on the grid for next year and will see Ocon take on a senior driver role in a team for the first time.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Haas F1 Team from team principal to Ferrari relationship

Unlike Franco Colapinto at Williams who doesn’t have a seat lined up for next season, Bearman isn’t under pressure to perform to confirm his place on the grid.

There will be an expectation that he extracts the most out of the car and comparing him to the very impressive Nico Hulkenberg in the other Haas will be a useful benchmark for team principal Ayao Komatsu.

However, no matter how well Bearman performs on the tricky street circuit, any chance of retaining Magnussen’s seat beyond next weekend is ‘off the table’.

It’s already ‘been made clear’ to the 31-year-old that he will be back in the car for the final seven race weekends of the season starting in Singapore.

Guenther Steiner sends ‘reality check’ warning to Bearman ahead of Baku

There are already a handful of rookies confirmed for next season with Jack Doohan and Kimi Antonelli joining Bearman on the grid.

The expectations on each of them is very different given where they’ll be racing on the grid although the battle between Bearman and Doohan could be very close.

There are still two seats left to fill at RB and Sauber and they could go to Liam Lawson and Gabriel Bortoleto respectively and all four of them would be relatively close on the track based on this season’s form which would be very exciting.

READ MORE: Who is 2025 Haas driver and Ferrari gem Oliver Bearman? Everything to know

Guenther Steiner has warned Bearman of the ‘reality check’ of racing for Haas instead of Magnussen in Baku.

However, while it’s one of the most difficult tracks on the grid, his performance at an equally tricky circuit in Saudi Arabia was admirable.

Bearman has a fantastic track record in Baku, completing the perfect weekend in F2 last year by taking pole position and winning both races.