F1 team reveal major driver lineup change

lewis hamilton, oliver bearman, charles leclerc, jeddah — Photo: © IMAGO

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F1 team reveal major driver lineup change

Haas are just one of the many F1 teams preparing for driver changes in 2025

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Sunday 5 January 2025 08:57 Updated: 11:43

A Formula 1 team has revealed major changes to their outfit ahead of a driver lineup switch for the 2025 season.

Following a frantic 'silly season' last year, multiple teams opted to drop drivers in favour of new signings, with Lewis Hamilton's switch to Ferrari kick-starting the driver market before the 2024 season had even begun.

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The seven-time champion's decision to leave the Silver Arrows after 12 successful years with Toto Wolff meant that Ferrari star Carlos Sainz had to look for a seat elsewhere, with many across the grid awaiting his decision to determine their own. fate.

Sainz had been rumoured to join just about every team on the grid before he settled on Williams, confirming he would be joining James Vowles' outfit as a long-term project.

One team who didn't wait until Sainz's announcement to confirm their driver lineup however was Haas, the Ferrari-backed outfit announcing the duo of Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon back in July.

Esteban Ocon already made his official F1 debut with Haas

Ollie Bearman secured a deal to drive with Haas F1 in 2025

Haas confirm 2025 driver change

Whilst Bearman cannot technically still be considered a rookie after his multiple F1 appearances for Haas and Ferrari in his reserve driver role, the British star will provide youthful energy to the team that should pair well with the experience of his new team-mate Ocon.

Having already agreed on a deal to sign with Haas and participate in their Abu Dhabi test, one final driver market twist arrived ahead of the 2024 finale when Alpine announced Ocon would be dropped from the team officially with just one race to go in the season.

Whilst the decision shocked many, it allowed Alpine to test their own rookie driver Jack Doohan ahead of his full-time entry to the sport next season, whilst Ocon entered the paddock as a Haas driver for the first time at Yas Marina.

In a post via their social media account on 'X', Haas revealed the major changes they have already made ahead of their new driver lineup arriving for 2025.

The account revealed two new driver signs, accompanied by the caption: "Giving our Banbury race bays a new look 👀🤩", referring to changes already being made at the team's base in Oxford where Ocon and Bearman will soon call home.

Giving our Banbury race bays a new look 👀🤩#HaasF1 #F1 | @OconEsteban @OllieBearman pic.twitter.com/QVzl2LZNI8
— MoneyGram Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) January 4, 2025

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here she realised her background in journalism and love of motorsport could be combined, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work more closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan which she hopes to build on.

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Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Toto Wolff Carlos Sainz Williams James Vowles