Stepping in for an unavailable Carlos Sainz, Oliver Bearman quickly became the talk of the town in Saudi Arabia. Since then, there have been talks about the British driver becoming a full-time participant on the F1 grid. With Nico Hulkenberg moving to Sauber, Haas has become a potential destination for Bearman. Should the move happen, Kevin Magnussen has clarified he won’t be taking care of the 18-year-old, if the need ever arises.
Quoted by PitDebrief, the Danish driver opted to give his potential teammate the cold shoulder when it came to him having to guide Bearman. A sharp Magnussen claimed he takes care of kids back home and wasn’t going to do the same out on the tracks.
| Oliver Bearman is according to sources the favourite to replace Nico Hulkenberg at Haas.
[@lawrobarretto]#F1 pic.twitter.com/al73owLq3c
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) April 26, 2024
“I’m not really here to take care of young kids. I do that at home.”, said the Haas driver.
The 31-year-old further claimed he hoped that the team would have someone “competent and professional and consistent” like the outgoing Hulkenberg. As things stand, Magnussen himself doesn’t have a seat in Haas for next year but hopes to retain his position within the American F1 team.
Much of the uncertainty around Magnussen’s F1 future with Haas has to do with the team’s continued interest in the young British talent that is Oliver Bearman.
Ayao Komatsu positive about the talent of Oliver Bearman
Starting the race in Saudi Arabia from P11, Bearman showed incredible maturity and driving skills to compete with some of the best names in F1. Eventually finishing P7, the young driver outperformed the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris in his debut race.
The performance left everyone impressed, and Ayao Komatsu was also pleased with what he saw. The Haas team boss claimed Bearman did very well in the race and showcased a lot of maturity.
| Oliver Bearman was already on Ayao Komatsu’s radar after his FP1 runs last year.
Haas will almost certainly consider Bearman for 2025.
[@formu1a__uno] pic.twitter.com/Hu0qnwIMCM
— formularacers (@formularacers_) March 10, 2024
Per Komatsu, the 18-year-old understood what his team wanted from him. Furthermore, Bearman barely made any mistakes on a track where mistakes are a common occurrence. Thus, it was an excellent performance from Bearman in the eyes of Komatsu.
With Komatsu being incredibly happy with what he saw from an up-and-coming driver, Magnussen might not have done himself any favor. The aging Danish driver could well have harmed his chances of getting a contract extension with Haas by claiming he wasn’t there to help the young driver out.
