mobile app bar

Big F1 Break for Oliver Bearman as Haas Vacates Nico Hulkenberg’s Seat in Imola for Crucial Test

Nischay Rathore
Published

Big F1 Break for Oliver Bearman as Haas Vacates Nico Hulkenberg’s Seat in Imola for Crucial Test

Oliver Bearman is ready to make a return to the F1 circuit. This time, it is the all-American team Haas that will field him. The Briton will feature for the first Free Practice session at the upcoming race weekend at Imola. Haas will vacate Nico Hulkenberg’s seat to give the Ferrari Driver Academy prodigy a crucial test before a possible promotion.

Bearman earlier featured at the Saudi Arabian GP when he replaced an ailing Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard underwent appendicitis surgery shortly after completing the first two practice sessions in Jeddah on Friday.

Bearman got a call just hours before the third practice session to take over Sainz’s seat. The 19-year-old qualified P11 on Saturday and delivered an impressive P7 finish in the race ahead of Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton.

Ever since that performance, Oliver Bearman has garnered high praise from the paddock. Among those who felt he deserved a regular seat in the premier class in 2025 was Haas boss Ayao Komatsu.

As per Motorsport, Komatsu said, “This circuit is not the easiest circuit to jump in from FP3. So I’m very, very happy for him and [he was] impressive.” He added, “He deserves a chance next year, I guess.”

Call it coincidence or aligning of the stars but Haas has emerged as the favorite destination for Bearman. Nico Hulkenberg announced his move to Sauber in 2025 earlier last month. Hulkenberg will stay with the team through Audi’s takeover in 2026. Thus, his seat at Haas could turn out to be a massive opportunity for Bearman.

Is Oliver Bearman really ready for the F1 challenge?

Oliver Bearman is currently competing in F1’s feeder series, Formula 2. With just two points to his name in three fixtures, he is currently stationed 19th in the drivers’ standings. That, however, may not be the correct assessment of the Prema driver.

Bearman took pole position in Jeddah before receiving the call to replace Carlos Sainz in F1. The Briton missed out on the chance to take a win, owing to the Ferrari duties.

Realizing how big of a personal loss it was for him and his F2 campaign, Bearman called for the media to take the spotlight off him in the aftermath of his impressive drive in F1.

Speaking with BBC, he said“The thing is you are only as good as your last race. So in a week’s time or two weeks’ time, all this will be forgotten. And I will be judged on my previous F2 race. That is my main focus.”

Post Edited By:Aishwary Gaonkar

About the author

Nischay Rathore

Nischay Rathore

x-iconinstagram-iconlinkedin-icon

Nischay Rathore is an F1 journalist at The SportsRush with over a thousand articles under his belt. An avid Ayrton Senna admirer, Nischay embarked on his sports journalism journey despite completing graduation in Law. When not covering the high-speed thrills of the pinnacle of motorsport, he can be seen enjoying crime thrillers and 90s gangster movies with a hearty bowl of buttery popcorn.

Share this article