Former Haas Chief Delivers Strong Warning To Oliver Bearman Ahead Of Baku Stint - 'Reality Check'

Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner speaks out on Oliver Bearman standing in for Kevin Magnussen.

Oliver Bearman / Ferrari Press Image

As the Azerbaijan Grand Prix approaches, former Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner has delivered a sobering message to 19-year-old Oliver Bearman, who is set to replace the suspended Kevin Magnussen for the race.

Danish driver Magnussen finds himself serving a race ban after exceeding the penalty-point limit at the Italian Grand Prix, where he collided with Pierre Gasly. This infraction tipped his tally to 12 penalty points within 12 months, leading to an automatic suspension.

Reflecting on Magnussen’s performance, Steiner noted in his column for Formula 1:

“Kevin did a good job at Monza. When he is in a position to score something, he stands up behind the wheel. When he’s motivated, he’s a very good driver.

“Now he gets some free time off with this race ban! It was highly possible that he would get a ban before the end of the year because he was so close to the penalty point limit.

“Is he happy about the ban? No. Was it unexpected? No. He did too many things in the beginning of the year, which maybe he shouldn’t have done. This one wasn’t actually that bad but if you get a penalty – you get points as well.”

The suspension of Magnussen opens the door for Bearman, who has only one Formula One race under his belt—a remarkable stand-in for Carlos Sainz at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, where he qualified 11th and impressively finished 7th. Such a debut set high expectations, but Steiner’s comments indicate that Bearman’s new stint with Haas will be a different beast altogether. He continued:

“Ollie was the obvious choice to stand-in for him at Haas. It’s also going to be a reality check.

“Jumping in a Ferrari is one thing, jumping in one that isn’t doing podiums is a different thing to get your head around.

“But it’s good for him to get in the car ahead of his full-time debut with the team next year. He did a great job for Ferrari in Saudi Arabia and I’m sure he’ll do a good job in Baku – and then next season.”

Bearman has signed a full-time contract with the American team for 2025 when he will race alongside current Alpine driver Esteban Ocon.

After his debut at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix earlier in the year, Bearman sits in the fifteenth position in the Drivers' Standings with 6 points.

2024 F1 Drivers' Standings

1. Max Verstappen - 303 points
2. Lando Norris - 241 points
3. Charles Leclerc - 217 points
4. Oscar Piastri - 197 points
5. Carlos Sainz - 184 points
6. Lewis Hamilton - 164 points
7. Sergio Perez - 143 points
8. George Russell - 128 points
9. Fernando Alonso - 50 points
10. Lance Stroll - 24 points
11. Nico Hulkenberg - 22 points
12. Yuki Tsunoda - 22 points
13. Daniel Ricciardo - 12 points
14. Pierre Gasly - 8 points
15. Oliver Bearman - 6 points
16. Kevin Magnussen - 6 points
17. Alex Albon - 6 points
18. Esteban Ocon - 5 points
19. Zhou Guanyu - 0 points
20. Logan Sargeant - 0 points
21. Franco Colapinto - 0 points
22. Valtteri Bottas - 0 points