British teenager Oliver Bearman will join Haas next season, signing a multi-year contract with the US-based Formula One team, as announced on Thursday before his home Grand Prix at Silverstone. Bearman's entry will boost the number of British drivers on the starting grid to four, making up a fifth of the total competitors.
The 19-year-old, currently a Ferrari reserve driver, will participate in the first free practice session at Silverstone on Friday before handing the car back to Kevin Magnussen for the rest of the weekend. This will be Bearman's third appearance with the team in the 2024 season, adding to his experience on the F1 stage.
Bearman made his remarkable Formula One debut at 18, stepping in for Carlos Sainz at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix last March due to Sainz's appendix surgery. Finishing an impressive seventh, Bearman became the third youngest driver in F1 history and the youngest Briton. Despite his youth, he stands 14th in the 2024 F1 standings, ahead of drivers from Alpine, Williams, and Sauber, as well as his future teammate Magnussen.
Expressing his excitement, Bearman said, "It's hard to put into words just how much this means to me. To say out loud that I will be a Formula One driver... makes me so immensely proud." He joins the ranks of McLaren's Lando Norris, Mercedes's George Russell, and Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton. Bearman has been part of Ferrari's academy since November 2021, following the path of Charles Leclerc and Mick Schumacher. His previous achievements include winning the 2021 Italian F4 and ADAC F4 championships, moving to Formula Three in 2022, and making his Formula Two debut in 2023 with notable success.
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