Gunther Steiner warns Ollie Bearman about Haas F1 debut: "He will face reality"

09/07/2024 02:24 PM

A test for 2025 for Ferrari Driver Academy member Oliver Bearman, who will debut with Haas during the Formula 1 weekend at the Baku City Circuit in Azerbaijan due to the disqualification of Kevin Magnussen; an outing that, according to Guenther Steiner, will be a real test for the young driver.

Ferrari junior Oliver Bearman made his Formula 1 debut during the Jeddah weekend in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix due to Carlos Sainz’s appendicitis attack; a debut that did not go unnoticed in the paddock and allowed him to secure a place in F1, replacing Kevin Magnussen for the next season.

Gunther Steiner warned Oliver Bearman that the VF-24 is a less competitive car compared to the one he drove in Jeddah:

“Ollie was the obvious choice to replace [Magnussen ed.] at Haas,” Gunther Steiner wrote in his column for F1.com. “It will also be a moment of reality check. Getting into a Ferrari is one thing, getting into one that doesn't make it to the podium is another. But it’s a good thing for him to get into a car and with the team with which he will debut full-time next year. He did a great job for Ferrari in Saudi Arabia and I am sure he will do a good job in Baku and next season.” – the former Haas team boss pointed out.

Negative record for Kevin Magnussen

The Danish driver received his twelfth penalty point in twelve months during the Monza weekend, resulting in a one-race disqualification; a real shame for a race finished in tenth place, with the contact with Pierre Gasly relegating him outside the points zone.

This was something that was easily foreseeable, according to Gunther Steiner, as Magnussen was only two points away from disqualification since May:

“Kevin did a good job in Monza. When he has the chance to score points, he seriously commits behind the wheel. When he’s motivated, he’s a great driver. Now he has some time off with this one-race disqualification! It was highly likely he would get a disqualification before the end of the year because he was very close to the penalty point limit. Is he happy about the disqualification? No. Was it unexpected? No. He did too many things earlier in the year that maybe he shouldn't have done.” – he concluded.

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