Haas F1 team set to announce Oliver Bearman as 2025 driver replacement

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F1 team set to announce EXCITING 2025 driver replacement

The 2025 grid is rapidly taking shape

Rhys Thomas

Wednesday 3 July 2024 19:42 Updated: 21:02

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Haas F1 are due to announce one half of their 2025 driver lineup this week, according to reports.

Next year's driver market was thrown into unexpected chaos in February when Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari was announced.

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That meant Carlos Sainz was on the hunt for a seat, later joined by outgoing Alpine driver Esteban Ocon.

Meanwhile, a handful of contract extensions have secured drives a seat into 2025 and beyond, including Aston Martin pair Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, as well as Sergio Perez and Pierre Gasly.

Ferrari's capture of Lewis Hamilton for 2025 threw the driver market into disarray

Carlos Sainz is one of several drivers looking for a seat

Who will drive for Haas in 2025?

Haas had their own driver exit earlier this year as Nico Hulkenberg announced he would be bidding farewell to the American team to join Stake F1 Team, who will become Audi in 2026.

The German's team-mate, Kevin Magnussen, may also be on the way out with whispers he may be preparing for a career outside of F1 after his contract expires at the end of this year.

Haas have often languished towards the bottom of the grid since their entry into the sport in 2016, though they have shown an encouraging pace of late scoring a vital double points haul in Austria with P6 and P8.

New team principal Ayao Komatsu took over from Guenther Steiner at the beginning of 2024, meaning Haas could be a more appealing destination than in previous years.

The team have been linked with several candidates, including Ferrari driver academy star Ollie Bearman as well as current grid members Sainz and Ocon.

Now, Formu1a.uno report Haas "will announce on Thursday only Oliver Bearman, who will drive for the American team in 2025, but not the second driver."

Oliver Bearman is set to join Haas in 2025

"Linked to Sainz are then numerous other seats, such as that of Ocon, who seemed very close to signing with Haas, while now he has reopened contacts with Williams" the report continued.

Whether Haas are able to attract Ocon to join Bearman is not yet clear. In the Ferrari youngster, though, the American team could gain a talent who impressed on his debut with the Scuderia in Saudi Arabia when he stepped in for Sainz.

Bearman is having a less successful time in F2, however, where he sits 14th in the standings - the same position he holds in the F1 championship having only competed in one race.

The 19-year-old did win the F2 Austrian sprint race however, remaining an attractive prospect for Haas to develop in 2025.

The Brit will be behind the wheel of the VF-24 once more in Silverstone for his latest free practice outing with the team.