Oliver Bearman as reinforcement in Sao Paulo to replace Kevin Magnussen

Haas F1 driver Kevin Magnussen will be absent from the first day of the Brazilian Grand Prix in Sao Paulo, replaced by Oliver Bearman, following health concerns.

This change comes in the context of a Sprint weekend, limiting preparation time for teams and offering a single free practice session before sprint qualifying on Friday afternoon.

Bearman will handle free practice and sprint qualifying, while the Haas team will assess Magnussen's fitness to determine if he can get back behind the wheel later in the weekend.

Bearman, an experienced replacement at Haas

This is not the first time this season that Bearman has taken over at Haas. Earlier in the year, he had already replaced Magnussen at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, following the Danish driver's temporary suspension for accumulating more than 12 penalty points in less than twelve months. Bearman thus gained valuable experience in an official racing context with the American team.

Bearman has also made appearances for Ferrari this season. In Jeddah, he took the place of Carlos Sainz, who was also ill. Most recently, he took part in Free Practice 1 in Mexico, during which he was involved in a spectacular collision with the Williams of Alex Albon.

A future assured for Bearman with Haas in 2025

In 2025, Bearman will join Haas permanently, alongside Esteban Ocon, while Nico Hülkenberg will leave the team to join Sauber. The move marks the likely end of Magnussen's F1 career, after several seasons marked by ups and downs.

Furthermore, Fernando Alonso, the veteran of the Aston Martin team, had to cancel his participation in Thursday media interviews in Sao Paulo for the second week in a row. Victim of an intestinal infection, he received treatment in Europe and remains uncertain about his level of fitness for this weekend's race in Brazil.