Moritz Wimmer
Formula 1 Department
Passionate motorsport enthusiast with a weakness for complex sentences and a (supposed) visual similarity to Charles Leclerc.MORE
Current Formula 2 driver and Ferrari junior Oliver Bearman will represent the German Nico Hülkenberg in the first free practice session of the Spanish GP. Haas announced this in its preview for the upcoming race weekend in Barcelona. For Bearman and the American racing team, it will be the second of a total of six rookie appearances in the current season.
Just over a month ago, Bearman, who is still considered a hot candidate for one of the two available Haas seats next year, was behind the wheel of the VF-24. The Briton had an adventurous weekend in Imola. First he crashed his Prema car in Formula 2 and immediately afterwards had to compete in the premier class to replace Kevin Magnussen. In the first free practice session, the young talent, who is even on the same points as Nico Hülkenberg after his sensational debut in Saudi Arabia, was able to leave the German behind in the time table. This weekend, Formula 2 will once again share the track with the ‘grown-ups’. Bearman is therefore once again facing a busy weekend.
It is not entirely surprising that Haas is using Bearman in Barcelona. The track is very familiar to Formula 1 teams from test drives and their long history in the premier class. The lack of training time to find the perfect setup can be more easily tolerated here than on less well-known tracks. It is quite possible that other teams will also use the Spanish GP for one of their obligatory rookie appearances, even if the time is relatively early in the season. However, Alpine already showed at the last race weekend in Canada that this does not necessarily have to be an exclusion criterion.
Oliver Bearman back in the Haas: A sign for 2025?
The training session at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is by no means the first for Bearman. The Ferrari junior already had his first outings with the customer team he is very familiar with last season. Bearman, who is currently in 13th place in the Formula 2 rankings, knew to always convince.
Ever since his impressive Formula 1 debut for Ferrari, Bearman has been considered the hottest candidate for a permanent place in the Haas team for 2025. The American racing team currently has two vacant cockpits. Nico Hülkenberg is moving to Audi next season, and Kevin Magnussen will have to wait for a new contract due to stagnating performances at best. The fact that Haas will now use Bearman in Spain can probably be seen as the next logical step towards a permanent Formula 1 cockpit next year.
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