Will Buxton names the ‘big consequence’ of Oliver Bearman replacing Kevin Magnussen at Sao Paulo Grand Prix

Follow us on Google Discover

Oliver Bearman will fill in for Haas driver Kevin Magnussen for the entirety of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix weekend, the team confirmed on Friday night. Magnussen is unable to take part because he’s unwell.

Initially, Haas hoped to have Magnussen back in the car on Saturday. Under the regulations, Bearman had to race in the Sprint after taking part in the qualifying session.

The Dane would have been able to return for Grand Prix qualifying, but he isn’t in a condition to do so. That means Bearman will, remarkably, take part in his third race of the season.

It’s the second time in five races he’s deputised for Magnussen, having also featured in Azerbaijan. The 32-year-old was suspended for that race after accumulating 12 penalty points in the space of a year.

Back in March, Bearman memorably raced for Ferrari when Carlos Sainz was hospitalised. He scored points in those first two outings, becoming the first driver in F1 history to do so with two different teams.

And the teenager looks fast enough to maintain that 100% record in Brazil. He qualified 10th for Saturday’s Sprint, beating the far more experienced Nico Hulkenberg.

Oliver Bearman ineligible for post-season test after Brazilian Grand Prix call-up

Bearman will, of course, race for Haas permanently next year alongside Esteban Ocon. However, he won’t be able to take part in the post-season Abu Dhabi test.

That’s because, as F1TV presenter Will Buxton points out, he will ‘no longer qualify as a rookie’ under the rules. Teams are obliged to run one rookie (who’s started no more than two races) and one existing F1 driver.

Reacting to Haas’ announcement on X, Buxton wrote: “One big consequence of this is that with three Grands Prix under his belt, Bearman will no longer qualify as a rookie for the end of the season test.”

Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu confirmed before the race in Brazil that Ocon would fill the senior role at Yas Marina. Alpine are happy to release him as they look to prepare his replacement Jack Doohan.

At this stage, the experience could be more beneficial for Ocon regardless. After Brazil, Bearman will have driven in six FP1 sessions with the team (four planned) and two full race weekends.

Karun Chandhok confused by one Oliver Bearman decision after he replaced Kevin Magnussen

Bearman has now repeatedly shown that he can jump in a car and be on the pace almost immediately. In that sense, Haas won’t be concerned if he can’t drive in Abu Dhabi.

More importantly, they can still split the full allocation of 2025 pre-season testing between their two drivers. And Bearman has already been able to build working relationships with some of his engineers.

His performance in Brazil on Friday was outstanding, though he felt more was possible. Bearman confused Karun Chandhok with an odd call to carry on pushing in SQ3 despite making a significant mistake at turn one.

Given that he’s part of their academy, Ferrari can call up Bearman next year if they have an issue with either Charles Leclerc or Lewis Hamilton. Haas would then field the former Sauber driver Antonio Giovinazzi.