How Haas feel Oliver Bearman stacks up against former test driver Charles Leclerc

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Oliver Bearman will take part in his second Formula 1 Grand Prix in Azerbaijan this weekend. The Briton is filling in at Haas after Kevin Magnussen received a one-race ban.

The stewards decided Magnussen was at fault for his collision with Pierre Gasly at Monza last time out. They handed him a 10-second penalty and two penalty points.

That took him to 12 in the space of the past year, automatically triggering a suspension under the rules. Bearman was the obvious candidate to replace him.

The 19-year-old has already signed a deal to race for Haas next year, partnering Esteban Ocon. Nico Hulkenberg has moved to Sauber/Audi, while Magnussen looks set to lose his spot on the grid.

Haas have a close relationship with engine suppliers Ferrari. That has allowed them to call upon Bearman, who’s part of the Scuderia’s driver academy, for this weekend’s race and for next year.

Bearman made an unexpected F1 debut at the Saudi Arabian GP in March when Carlos Sainz contracted appendicitis. He finished seventh and won the driver of the day award, but he faces an altogether different challenge at Haas.

Why Haas are ‘more impressed’ with Oliver Bearman than they were with Charles Leclerc

Haas’ Ferrari connection also saw them field Charles Leclerc in a number of practice sessions back in 2016. Leclerc, a GP3 driver at the time, logged four FP1 outings with the American team.

According to Motorsport-Total, however, Leclerc wanted to focus on his F2 title bid the following year. That meant he didn’t feature in an F1 weekend until the end of September, by which point he’d effectively sealed the championship.

Ferrari had decided to place the Monegasque at Sauber by that point, so his partnership with Haas was short-lived. In any case, Ayao Komatsu’s team have been ‘much more impressed’ with Bearman than they were with Leclerc.

It seems that the former has shown a greater commitment to his F1 duties, even at the expense of his F2 campaign. Bearman missed the chance to convert pole in the Saudi feature race, and will naturally miss this weekend’s action too.

Haas identify plan-b if Ferrari need Oliver Bearman at Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Bearman is down in 14th in the F2 standings with just 50 points to his name. He’s taken two Sprint victories, the first in Austria and the second last time out in Italy, but the season has predominantly been a struggle.

By contrast, Leclerc won the F2 championship in utterly dominant fashion. Among the 12 current F1 drivers who graduated from the series, only Lewis Hamilton picked up a higher share of the available points (53.5% vs 53.4%).

Still, it’s clear that Haas are hugely excited by Bearman, even though Ferrari will control his destiny. Indeed, they could even call up in Baku if Leclerc or Sainz are ruled out for whatever reason.

In that instance, Haas would turn to Arthur Leclerc, Charles’ brother. The 23-year-old competed in F2 last year, scoring one podium, and currently works as a Ferrari development driver.