Oliver Bearman and that “6 a.m. call” to replace Kevin Magnussen in Brazil. Oliver Bearman reflects on how he found out he would race for Haas in F1 Sao Paulo GP.

Oliver Bearman is back driving for Haas in Brazil, once again stepping in for Kevin Magnussen. The young Brit will become a full-time driver starting with the 2025 Formula 1 season. In yesterday’s interviews, the driver explained how he discovered he would be replacing the Dane.

Haas announced that Kevin Magnussen would not participate in Friday’s sessions because he was unwell. At that point, the team called Oliver Bearman. In the sprint qualifying, he finished tenth. Later, the 19-year-old Prema driver was confirmed for the entire weekend.

Oliver Bearman made his Formula 1 debut earlier this year when he replaced the unwell Carlos Sainz in Jeddah, driving for Ferrari. He was then announced as a full-time Haas driver for 2025. In Baku, The Ferrari Driver Academy member was called to replace Kevin Magnussen, who had received a race ban after reaching the 12-point limit on his super license.

“Ayao [Komatsu] woke me up this morning with his call,” Oliver Bearman revealed, speaking about his last-minute call from Haas for Brazil. “It was around 6:30. When I saw his name, I wasn’t too annoyed. If it had been my mom or someone else, not realizing the time difference, I would have been a bit more irritated!” he said, laughing.

“Obviously, I want to wish Kevin all the best because I know he’s not feeling well. He’s had a lot of success on this track and even took pole here. I’m very happy to get into an F1 car, and it’s a pleasure to do so.”

Oliver Bearman is the first driver in F1 history to score points for two different teams in his first two races. In Jeddah, he finished seventh with Ferrari. In Baku, he crossed the line in tenth with Haas.