Bearman set to take over Magnussen's car in FP1 in Imola

Ferrari reserve driver Oliver Bearman will complete his first outing with Haas in the opening practice session at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, taking over Kevin Magnussen's car.

Oliver Bearman mad his suprise F1 debut at this year's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, replacing Carlos Sainz for the remainder of the event after the latter was diagnosed with appendicitis and withdrew after the second free practice session. The British driver became Formula One's third-youngest racer in history, and he classified seventh on his one-off appearance.

Alongside his racing duties in the Formula 2 season, Bearman will make six FP1 appearances with Haas. The 19-year-old driver will complete his first outing in Imola this weekend when he takes over Kevin Magnussen's VF-24 for the opening sixty-minute session. It will not be a new experience for Bearman as he has already two FP1 appearances under his belt from last year.

Expanding on the opportunity, Bearman added: “I’m really looking forward to re-joining the team and taking part in the FP1 in Imola. The team is having a strong season and I’m hoping, with the extra experience I have since our last time together, I’ll be able to help continue the run of form they’re in!”

Speaking of the opening round of the European leg of the season, Kevin Magnussen said: “It’s a great track, and one of those that I was watching as a kid and always wanted to race at, so it’s fantastic that it’s back on the calendar. It was a good weekend the last time we were there, I scored a point in the Sprint in 2022.

"The track is pretty difficult to overtake on, not impossible, but difficult so it will be more about qualifying than the average track. It’s going to be the first good opportunity we have to collect proper aero data on the car that we’re running now, so that’s going to be very useful and a good experiment.

“You can’t help but notice the history when you visit this circuit, some memories more sad than others with Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna’s accidents, but nonetheless it’s significant, and racing a Formula 1 car in Italy is always special.”