Magnussen replacement Bearman heads to Baku Grand Prix full of confidence
F1 News
Oliver Bearman will replace Kevin Magnussen for Haas this coming weekend at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The Dane received a ban after the Italian Grand Prix for accumulating too many penalty points in a 12-month period. Bearman—who will replace Magnussen for the Formula 1 race in Baku—is looking forward to the opportunity he will get at Haas.
Bearman: 'Have had success here before'
"I’m excited about getting back inside a Formula 1 car and competing in my first full weekend, I’ve done FP1s with the team, but to be able to build on that and actually do a full weekend is a really exciting prospect. Last year I had a lot of success in Baku and it’s really one of my favourite tracks to compete at, so I’m really excited to get going," Bearman revealed.
Bearman - who has already been confirmed as a part of Haas' driver next year alongside Esteban Ocon - has already been preparing for the quick streets of Baku. "I’ve had time in the simulator, it’s definitely a challenging track, but not being a permanent circuit, the walls are very close and it’s tight in some places, especially the famous castle section. That’s another point to focus on, make sure to build up to speed, in an as measured way as possible. I’m happy I have a lot of laps in the car because this will be my first full weekend which I haven’t had the pleasure of having before," the Brit concluded.
Bearman with his new engineer for the first time
Bearman will be working with Mark Slade, Magnussen's race engineer, for the first full weekend. The Briton is looking forward to working with Bearman at Haas. "It's a huge shame that Kevin won't be driving, but it will be a great opportunity to work with Ollie [Bearman] through a full event for the first time. He has shown his pace and talent by winning both Formula 2 races on this track last year, so our task is to use our experience and knowledge to help him apply that ability and get the most out of himself and the car," Slade revealed.
Bearman replaced Carlos Sainz at Ferrari at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix earlier this year. The Ferrari junior managed a seventh-place finish there, and as a result, he put himself in the spotlight for other Formula 1 teams.
This article was written in collaboration with Jeroen Immink
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