Bearman was, of course, one of the stories of 2024 thanks to his various super-sub appearances across the year. The 19-year-old was on hand to step up in place of Carlos Sainz at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – after the Spaniard withdrew with appendicitis – and came a memorable seventh on his debut, becoming the youngest-ever driver to compete for Ferrari in the process.
He was in action again in Azerbaijan as he made an early debut for Haas in place of the banned Magnussen – his P10 result meaning he became the first driver in F1 history to score points for two different teams in his first two races – and he would make another appearance for Haas in Brazil when the Dane was taken ill.
READ MORE: Bearman sets goals for first full F1 season as 2024 left him ‘wanting more’
Ocon, meanwhile, is the first Grand Prix winner to race a Haas car – his sole triumph coming at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix.
The Frenchman knows Komatsu well, the Japanese Team Principal having engineered Ocon in his first Formula 1 test with Lotus at Valencia in 2014, and his experience will undoubtedly help the squad.
Haas will be Ocon’s fourth team he’s turned out for on the grid, having made his debut with Manor in 2016, before a two-year stint with Force India. He then spent a season on the sidelines as Mercedes’ reserve driver. He returned with Renault in 2020 and stuck with the team through their Alpine guise before his exit after the penultimate race of 2024.
