Jeddah and Baku are a "powerful draw" for my first two F1 races

Oliver Bearman says he wouldn’t have picked Jeddah and Baku for the circuits on which to make his first two grand prix begins had been it as much as him.

The Ferrari junior driver, who will race for Haas as a full-time F1 driver in 2025, is standing in for the banned Kevin Magnussen this weekend in Azerbaijan.

It will likely be Bearman’s second outing in a grand prix this season after he stood in for Carlos Sainz Jnr at Ferrari within the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix six months in the past.

Very like Jeddah, Baku is a high-speed avenue circuit providing little margin for error. Though he secured pole place and received each System 2 races held right here final 12 months, Bearman admits he would have most popular a extra typical circuit to race on for his first grand prix for his new staff.

“It’s undoubtedly a troublesome monitor, Bearman mentioned. “It’s my second race in F1, and it’s my second avenue monitor that I’m racing. So it’s been a little bit of a troublesome draw. If I might have picked two races, it in all probability wouldn’t have been these ones.

“However then once more, I had success right here final 12 months. It went properly. I feel the troublesome half is increase the arrogance on a monitor like this as a result of the partitions are shut. With out having confidence on the brakes, you battle to be quick. However to get the arrogance on the brakes, it’s dangerous.

“I did contact the wall fairly just a few occasions final 12 months, most notably in qualifying the place I bent the suspension, which wasn’t my most interesting second. I one way or the other managed to do the pole, however I don’t assume I’ll get away with that this 12 months in F1.”

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Bearman mentioned he’ll “go away a bit extra security margin, particularly within the first periods” as he will get used to the monitor. “I feel the primary aim is to construct up the arrogance and actually be assured within the automotive and myself earlier than I begin to push and discover the bounds.”

He certified eleventh and completed a powerful seventh on debut for Ferrari in Jeddah regardless of getting only a single observe session of preparation within the automotive. Having had a number of Friday observe runs within the VF-24 he shall be racing this weekend since his debut, Bearman says he’s greater than able to step in and carry out for Haas in Baku.

“It has been some time that Kevin’s been near a race ban, so I knew it was a possible risk to leap within the automotive at any level,” he mentioned. “If I might have chosen, it will be one which doesn’t conflict with F2, however you don’t select when to leap in F1 and each alternative is one that you just take.

“However I’ve been actually making ready for subsequent 12 months and a part of that implies that I’m prepared additionally now. So it’s one other nice alternative to point out how I’ve improved and what I can do.”