Before Oliver Bearman, the last time a driver raced with two different teams in one year was when George Russell replaced Lewis Hamilton—affected by COVID-19—at the Sakhir GP after being relieved from his seat at Williams.
Oliver Bearman got behind the wheel of both Ferrari and Haas in the 2024 season as a reserve driver. The then 18-year-old made his F1 debut at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix with Ferrari after Carlos Sainz fell ill with appendicitis. As Ferrari’s reserve driver, he was supposed to participate in the Formula 2 race at the event, securing pole in F2 before being called up at the last minute to F1. His seventh-place finish earned him his first career points in F1 and 10th place in the standings at the time.
Six months later, he returned to an F1 car when he was called to replace Kevin Magnussen in the Azerbaijan GP. The Dane had been handed a one-race suspension after accumulating 12 penalty points on his super license, becoming the first driver in F1 history to receive this punishment. Bearman performed well again in Baku, finishing tenth and securing another career point. After crossing the finish line, the 19-year-old became the first driver to score points for two different teams in his first two races.
Oliver Bearman joined a small group of drivers who have raced for two teams in a single season.
Although rare, some drivers have switched teams mid-season, and some teams have even enforced driver changes. Here’s everything you need to know about the drivers who raced for multiple teams in a year.
F1 World Champions Who Changed Teams Mid-Season
Max Verstappen – from Toro Rosso to Red Bull – 2016
Max Verstappen had completed only four races in his second F1 season when he moved from Toro Rosso to Red Bull in 2016. The Dutchman was promoted after a difficult start to the season by Daniil Kvyat of Red Bull. After the incident at the start of the Russian GP, where Kvyat hit the back of Sebastian Vettel, the Russian driver was demoted, although team principal Christian Horner stated this wasn’t the only reason for the decision.
Verstappen made his debut with Red Bull at the 2016 Spanish GP and impressively took the win, aided by both Mercedes drivers—Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg—colliding on the first lap. This was the only race of the season where no Mercedes driver made the podium. With the victory, Verstappen became the youngest winner ever, the youngest driver to reach the podium, and the youngest to lead a race lap, at 18 years and 288 days: all records previously held by Sebastian Vettel, who had set them in 2008 at 21 years and 74 days.
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The decision proved fruitful for Red Bull, which has since kept Verstappen. The Dutchman has claimed 61 wins, another 48 podiums, and three drivers’ championships with the team, helping it win the constructors’ championship in 2022 and 2023, the first since their four consecutive wins between 2010 and 2013.
Sebastian Vettel – From BMW Sauber to Toro Rosso – 2007
Sebastian Vettel made his F1 debut for BMW Sauber at the 2007 United States GP when he was called up to replace Robert Kubica. The Polish driver had been involved in a terrible accident in the previous Canadian GP, and although he didn’t suffer severe injuries, he was replaced as a precaution after being diagnosed with a concussion and ankle sprain. Vettel—who was the team’s test driver—got into the car for the race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and finished the race in eighth place.
He was later signed by Toro Rosso, and four races after his debut, he returned to the grid for the 2007 Hungarian GP. Vettel completed the last seven races of the season, although he was plagued by three retirements and three point-less performances. Despite qualifying 12th for the 2007 Chinese GP, Vettel was penalized five grid positions after impeding Heikki Kovalainen during qualifying. The German made an impressive comeback, climbing through the grid to finish fourth, narrowly missing the podium.
Michael Schumacher – From Jordan to Benetton – 1991
Michael Schumacher made his debut for Jordan at the 1991 Belgian GP, following the incarceration of Bertrand Gachot. The Franco-Belgian driver had been sentenced to two months in prison after an altercation with a London taxi driver, causing him to miss five races before the season finale in Australia. Reportedly, Mercedes-Benz paid Jordan $150,000 to give its junior driver experience, with Schumacher qualifying seventh on his debut. However, the strong start was quickly ruined by a first-lap clutch failure.
Although he had a contract to finish the season with the team, he signed with Benetton for the next Italian GP. Jordan requested an injunction to block the transfer, but having not signed the final contract, lost the case, and Schumacher was free to move.
With Benetton, he competed in the last five races of the 1991 season, securing three points finishes before retiring in the final two races. Schumacher stayed with Benetton for another four seasons, winning his first two championships with the team in 1994 and 1995.
F1 Drivers Who Raced for Two Teams in One Season
Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly – Red Bull and Toro Rosso – 2019
Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly both raced for Red Bull and Toro Rosso during the 2019 season when Red Bull decided to swap its drivers. Gasly competed in the first 12 races of the year with the senior team, while Albon raced for Toro Rosso. The Frenchman was sixth in the championship with 63 points, while teammate Verstappen had nearly tripled his points total with 181. During the summer break, Red Bull decided to swap its drivers, stating that they would “use the next nine races to evaluate Alex’s performance” and make a “decision on who will drive alongside Max in 2020.”
Albon consistently scored more points than Gasly in the last nine races of the 2019 season—albeit with the better car—although the Toro Rosso driver claimed his first F1 podium at the Brazilian GP after Albon and Hamilton lost positions when they made contact after the safety car restart on lap 70.
Gasly remained with the rebranded AlphaTauri until the end of 2022, achieving a win—the 2020 Italian GP—and another podium at the 2021 Azerbaijan GP. Albon was dropped by Red Bull at the end of the 2020 season, demoting him to test and reserve driver after struggling to compete with teammate Verstappen. Albon later signed with Williams for the following season, where he remains.
Carlos Sainz – From Toro Rosso to Renault – 2017
After starting his third season with Toro Rosso (2017), Carlos Sainz revealed that it was “unlikely” he would remain with the team for the following year. It was later announced that he would replace Jolyon Palmer at Renault in 2018, advancing his move to the last four races of the 2017 season. Palmer endured a difficult season, securing only one top-ten finish at the Singapore GP. It was during that weekend that the Briton learned he had been replaced starting from the United States GP, revealing he found out after his brother sent him an Autosport article, which forced him to confront Renault team principal Cyril Abiteboul.
Sainz finished 2017 with Renault, although he faced two retirements and only one top-ten finish in the four races.
Giancarlo Fisichella – Force India to Ferrari – 2009
During his final season in Formula 1, Giancarlo Fisichella raced with Force India. He secured the team’s first pole position at the 2009 Belgian GP, later finishing second to secure the team’s first points and podium, behind Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen.
After the race at Spa, speculation grew that the Italian would replace Luca Badoer, who had stepped in for the injured Felipe Massa. Badoer struggled with the car, and Martin Brundle stated in the Sunday Times that having him race was dangerous, as he wasn’t able to gain the experience needed to race after the testing ban. In the two-week break between races, Fisichella confirmed he would drive for Ferrari at the Italian GP and for the rest of the season. Massa returned to the team at the start of 2010, and Fisichella became Ferrari’s reserve driver until he was replaced by Jules Bianchi in 2011.
Heinz-Harald Frentzen – Jordan to Prost (2001) and Arrows to Sauber (2002)
Heinz-Harald Frentzen switched mid-season in both 2001 and 2002 after an unlucky period for the German. Frentzen began the 2001 season with Jordan, describing the car after pre-season testing as the best he had ever driven. However, tensions rose when he was outpaced by teammate Jarno Trulli in nine of the first 10 races. After four retirements and retiring from the Canadian GP due to health issues, Frentzen was fired after the German GP. Meanwhile, at Prost, Jean Alesi had a falling out with the team after the British GP, which led to his firing from the team. Team boss Alain Prost later described the Frenchman’s behavior as “childish.”
Alesi switched to Jordan to replace the fired Frentzen, while the German took the vacant Prost seat, meaning the drivers swapped teams. Both drivers finished the season with their respective teams, although neither of them secured a top-six finish.
In 2002, Frentzen competed with Arrows in the first 12 races of the year, until the team folded mid-season due to severe financial difficulties. Two races later, he was signed by Sauber, where he finished his final three races in F1.
Alesi moved to Jordan to replace the dismissed Frentzen, while the German took the vacant seat at Prost, meaning that the two drivers swapped seats. Frentzen faced two more retirements at the Hungarian GP and the Italian GP but impressively qualified fourth at the Belgian GP before the team collapsed due to $30 million in debt. Alesi scored his final points in F1 at that Belgian GP and achieved three more top-ten finishes in the last five races of the 2001 season (at the time, points were only awarded up to sixth place).
The following year, Frentzen switched teams again mid-season after starting the year with Arrows. Frentzen was dropped by the debt-ridden Arrows, facing an uncertain future, and missed the next three races while looking for a seat. He was later signed to replace Massa at Sauber for the 2002 United States GP, after the Brazilian received a ten-place grid penalty for causing a collision with Pedro de la Rosa on lap 15 of the previous Italian GP. Despite his sole appearance for the team in 2002, Frentzen later signed with Sauber for 2003, securing a podium at the United States GP.
Mika Salo – From BAR to Ferrari – 1999
Mika Salo started the 1999 season without a seat before being hired by BAR after Ricardo Zonta injured his foot during practice for the Brazilian GP. Zonta missed three races, allowing Salo to compete. The Finnish driver achieved his best result of the year by finishing seventh at the San Marino GP.
Just three races later, Schumacher broke his leg at the British GP, and Salo joined Ferrari for the next six races. During his second race with the team—the German GP—Salo was leading before Ferrari ordered him to let teammate Eddie Irvine pass. The Northern Irishman was in a championship battle with Mika Hakkinen but returned the favor to Salo in the next race by giving him the winner’s trophy. Salo claimed another podium at Monza, finishing third ahead of his teammate.
Jarno Trulli – From Minardi to Prost (1997) and from Renault to Toyota (2004)
Jarno Trulli’s first mid-season team switch occurred during his debut season in 1997. The Italian began his career with Minardi, competing in the first seven races of the year. At the Canadian GP, Prost driver Olivier Panis broke both legs in a high-speed crash on lap 54, leading to the race being cut short. Panis was unable to race for the next seven races, and Trulli was called up to race for the team. Trulli impressed by finishing fourth at the German GP and even led the Austrian GP before dropping to second place and eventually retiring due to an engine failure.
In 2002, Trulli moved to Renault, and in 2004, he outperformed teammate Fernando Alonso early in the year, with a third-place finish in Spain and his only career win at Monaco. However, his relationship with team boss Flavio Briatore became strained, and mistakes during races began to frustrate the team. Trulli’s last points of the year came at the French GP, despite an error on the last corner that allowed Rubens Barrichello to take the final podium spot, costing Renault a double podium at their home race.
Trulli faced two retirements in his final five races with the team and failed to finish higher than ninth in the other three. After the German GP, Trulli announced he would leave Renault at the end of the season, but two months later, he was fired and replaced by Jacques Villeneuve. Trulli was set to join Toyota in 2005, but after his early dismissal from Renault, the Japanese team allowed him to race in the Japanese and Chinese GPs to replace Ricardo Zonta.
JJ Lehto – From Benetton to Sauber – 1994
JJ Lehto was set to race alongside Schumacher at Benetton for the 1994 season but injured his neck during pre-season testing. He missed the first two races of the year before taking the wheel at the San Marino GP. He competed in four races but was replaced again by Jos Verstappen after Benetton reassessed Lehto and decided he hadn’t fully recovered from his earlier injury.
The Finn returned briefly for the Italian and Portuguese GPs after Schumacher was handed a two-race ban at the British GP for overtaking Damon Hill on the formation lap. Lehto was fully released by the team at the end of the races, and he signed with Sauber for the final two races of 1994 after the team couldn’t keep Andrea de Cesaris to replace the injured Karl Wendlinger.
Andrea de Cesaris – Jordan and Sauber – 1994
De Cesaris started the 1994 season without a seat but found himself racing in the San Marino and European GPs after Eddie Irvine was suspended for three races following a four-car crash at the season-opening Brazilian GP. He retired from the first race in Italy but finished just outside the podium at the next Monaco GP.
Wendlinger was injured at the Monaco GP after losing control of his Sauber exiting the tunnel. He crashed into the barriers and was in a coma for several weeks, meaning he didn’t return for the rest of the year. De Cesaris was called up to cover for the injured Austrian for the next nine races before being replaced by Lehto.
Roberto Moreno – From Benetton to Jordan to Minardi – 1991
Roberto Moreno joined Benetton for the last two races of the 1990 season, impressing the bosses with a second-place finish in his debut race with the team. His performances earned him a seat for 1991, but he struggled to compete with teammate Nelson Piquet, finishing five positions behind his fellow Brazilian in the championship. Despite a fourth-place finish at the 1991 Belgian GP, Moreno was dropped to make way for Schumacher, who was set to debut with Jordan at the following weekend.
As a result, Moreno took Schumacher’s place at Jordan but was replaced after just two races by Alex Zanardi. In an unusual twist of events—and after being replaced twice during the season—Moreno returned to Formula 1 to race with Minardi. The team was forced to find a driver for the final race of the year in Australia after Gianni Morbidelli was transferred to Ferrari, following the team’s dismissal of Alain Prost after he publicly criticized the car, calling it a “truck.”
What happens to career points if a driver changes teams mid-season?
The drivers’ and constructors’ championship points are considered two separate entities. This means if a driver changes teams during a season, they keep their championship points, and their teams also keep their points. A driver will then accumulate further points with their new team, and the team will earn points from their new driver.
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