Oliver Bearman Likely to Replace Kevin Magnussen Over Nico Hulkenberg at Haas, Says Natalie Pinkham

If there was ever an important moment in Oliver Bearman‘s life, it happened during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend. Having been called in at the very last minute to replace an unfit Carlos Sainz and make his Formula 1 debut with Ferrari, Oliver Bearman grabbed the opportunity with both hands. With just an hour of practice before qualifying at one of the fastest street circuits in the world, the 18-year-old Brit showed a lot of composure and maturity in the way he drove. And his performance has put him front and center of every team for a permanent F1 drive in 2025.

Having taken pole a day before in his Formula 2 campaign at Jeddah, Bearman narrowly missed out on reaching Q3 in qualifying, ultimately securing the 11th spot on the grid. In the race, he demonstrated exceptional skill, fending off challenges from seasoned drivers like Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton to finish in 7th place. He has received tremendous praise from almost everyone in the paddock. And being a Ferrari junior driver, he has probably already solidified his place at Haas for 2025. But who will he replace in the American team? Nico Hulkenberg or Kevin Magnussen? Sky Sports’ Natalie Pinkham believes it will be the Danish driver who goes.

Haas could let go of Kevin Magnussen to make space for Ollie Bearman

Both the current Haas drivers are quite experienced and have the ability on any given day to score a few points for the team despite having a relatively slow car. However, in 2023, Nico Hulkenberg showed that he definitely had an edge over Kevin Magnussen. While the car’s tire degradation issues didn’t help him much in the race, on a Saturday, Hulkenberg was clearly the better qualifier. And the same has been true in the two races so far.

While making predictions for 2025 on the recent episode of F1 Nation Podcast, Natalie Pinkham from Sky Sports shed light on why Haas will probably let go of Magnussen for the young British driver. She reasoned, “I feel like Kevin [Magnussen] had a sort of second coming with the sport. I think he wouldn’t feel as if he hadn’t given it his all. I’m not saying he’s done in the sport because he’s still young, especially compared to some of the others but he’s had a second crack which he wasn’t expecting and I feel like he’s very philosophical as well.”

“Now he’s a dad, he knows that there’s a world and a life outside of F1. So, naturally, I guess you would say it would be Kevin [who’ll be replaced by Oliver Bearman]. Some people are talking about it as early as this year whether they [Haas] would make space for him [Oliver Bearman],” she added.

The former Haas Team Boss, Guenther Steiner, has already given his verdict on Oliver Bearman after being left impressed by his performance

Steiner would waste no time in putting Oliver Bearman in a Haas

Guenther Steiner recently wrote his first feature column on Formula 1s official website after the Saudi Arabian GP. And he was quick to heap praise on the 18-year-old’s debut performance, highlighting his composure and predicting a bright future for him in F1.

In his column, Steiner expressed confidence in Bearman’s abilities, stating, “Based on his performance in Jeddah, after what I saw from him, I’d put him in a race seat. Obviously, it depends on the circumstances and what seats are available. You need to see the whole landscape, but he would be a candidate.”

Where do you think Oliver Bearman will land in F1 if he gets a drive next season? Is it necessarily going to be Haas? If so, who would you replace him with? Share your predictions and insights in the comments down below.

READ MORE: “I’ve Never Had to Use the ERS:” Oliver Bearman Blames His Lack of Experience for Getting Stuck Behind Nico Hulkenberg at Jeddah