F1 News
Komatsu welcomes Bearman: 'He is more than up to the task'
- Ludo van Denderen
With Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg, Haas F1 currently have one of the oldest and most experienced line-ups on the current Formula 1 grid. This will change next season, as the US team have signed Oliver Bearman (19). Ayao Komatsu, Haas' team boss, is looking forward to the collaboration.
"It’s an exciting thing to be able to give a young driver as talented as Oliver Bearman his first full-time seat in Formula 1," said the Japanese driver. "He’s developed into an incredibly mature driver under the guidance of the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy and the world saw that for themselves when he was called in at the last minute to compete at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix."
Replacing the injured Carlos Sainz, Bearman drove to seventh place in Jeddah. "Oliver proved he was more than ready for the task, and we’ve seen that for ourselves running him in the Haas cars in our FP1 sessions over the past two seasons. We’re looking forward to further developing him as a driver and reaping the benefits of his talent – both inside and outside of the car."
'Bearman a welcome addition from Haas'
Finally, Komatsu praises Bearman's character: "Oliver’s a great guy and a very welcome addition to the team when he joins us for the FP1 weekends. Now we know that relationship is going to be longer-term, it’s a positive thing for all concerned."