F1 News: Haas Confirms Ollie Bearman For Mexican And Abu Dhabi Grands Prix

The young Ferrari driver will get a chance to drive the VF-23 In Mexico and Abu Dhabi as a part of the F1 sporting regulations.

The Haas F1 team has confirmed that Ollie Bearman will be driving the VF-23 during free practice in Mexico and Abu Dhabi.

Bearman will attend the Qatar Grand Prix this weekend to get comfortable with the Haas team and learn how the team works. The British driver comes to the grid after bagging four races in his Formula 2 season for Prema Racing. 

The Ferrari youngster is one among many drivers who have had their introductory practice runs with Haas, including Mick Schumacher, Antonio Giovinazzi, and Charles Leclerc. Formula 1's sporting regulations mandate teams to run a rookie driver in two FP1 sessions in a season. 

Bearman joined the Ferrari Driver Academy in November 2021 when he won that year's Italian F4 and ADAC F4 championships. He stepped up to the F2 game quickly this season after finishing third overall in the FIA F3 last year.

His four wins in F2 included a sprint/feature double at Baku as well as winning feature races at Monza and Barcelona. Currently, he is placed sixth in the Drivers' Standings 

Speaking about the opportunity and expressing gratitude, Bearman explained in a press release from the team:

“I am so happy to be joining MoneyGram Haas F1 Team driving in Mexico and Abu Dhabi. 

"Getting to Formula 1 has been my dream since I was go-karting, so to be driving a car for the first time this year is really special.

"I’m grateful to the team, and of course Ferrari, for allowing me this chance. I’m working hard to make sure I’m ready to support the team as best I can on both occasions.” 

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Haas team principal Guenther Steiner added that the team is very happy to have Bearman onboard and that he has no doubts about the young driver stepping up to the task of driving the VF-23 F1 car. He said:

“We’re very happy to offer Oliver Bearman these outings in Mexico and Abu Dhabi.

"He’s had a stellar rookie season in Formula 2, four wins is testament to that, and as part of the Ferrari Driver Academy – we know his background preparation coming into these weekends will be first-rate. We look forward to welcoming Oliver into the team and have him drive the VF-23.”