Haas confirms: Ocon and this notable name testing in Abu Dhabi
F1 News
- Ludo van Denderen
Haas F1 has announced which two drivers will take part in the post-season test at the Abu Dhabi circuit. Not surprisingly, the first driver is Esteban Ocon, who until last weekend raced for Alpine in Qatar. He will do the Pirelli test on behalf of his new employer. The driver for the Young Driver test is Ryo Hirakawa, who will still compete for McLaren in FP1 next weekend.
Ocon left Alpine last Sunday, which had given him a choice: Either drive the last Grand Prix with us or test with Haas. So Ocon chose the latter, and as a result, he will make his debut next week for the team with which he will compete in next season's Grands Prix.
No Bearman in Abu Dhabi test
Oliver Bearman will be his teammate in 2025, but the Briton will not be in action on behalf of Haas during the Young Driver test. This is because Bearman already has three Grands Prix to his name and will not be allowed to participate in these. Therefore, Haas ended up with Japanese driver Hirakawa, McLaren's test and reserve driver this season. Hirakawa is under contract with Toyota, with which Haas F1 has recently formed an intimate partnership.
Toyota aims to let drivers from their stable gain Formula 1 experience with Haas. So Hirakawa is the first example of that.
This article was written in collaboration with Olly Darcy
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