Yahoo Autos Haas makes Bearman reserve alongside Fittipaldi; Maloney joins Stake
Haas has named Ollie Bearman as one of two reserve drivers alongside Pietro Fittipaldi for 2024, with Stake adding Zane Maloney to its roster.
Bearman is already fulfilling a reserve role at Ferrari this year alongside his Formula 2 duties, and will have the same responsibilities for Haas as Fittipaldi dovetails his ongoing position with a full-time IndyCar drive. Having impressed in two FP1 outings for Haas late last season, Bearman will also get six FP1 appearances for the team this year, in a show of faith that suggests he is being primed for a future Formula 1 race seat.
“I’m really happy to be part of MoneyGram Haas F1 team for the upcoming season,” 18-year-old Bearman said. “I had a great experience last year working with everyone at the team and I’m looking forward to building on that this year. There are several events I’ll be doing FP1s at — alongside the reserve duties, which is exciting. I’m grateful to Haas F1 team and Scuderia Ferrari for their faith and for supporting me.”
Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu says the reserve lineup offers a strong blend of potential talent and continuity, with Fittipaldi having fulfilled the role since 2019.
“Oliver did a tremendous job for us last season settling in well and working through both his FP1 run programs in Mexico and Abu Dhabi and then with his test program,” Komatsu said. “We’re looking forward to giving him the opportunity for more outings in FP1 in 2024 — with testing at a premium this is key running time, both for us to evaluate Oliver’s progress but also to enable him seat time in a Formula 1 car.
“Having Pietro with us for a sixth season is valuable as he again provides continuity and he’s been a great contributor to our program over the years, both on- and off-track. We’re excited he’s landed a full-time IndyCar ride this season, so he can do what he loves to do — and that’s to race — but he’s there for us too as part of the Haas family.”
Another F2 driver getting a reserve position for this year is Maloney, with the Bajan talent having left the Red Bull junior program and joined the Sauber Academy. Maloney will share reserve responsibilities for Stake with Theo Pourchaire, who is set to race in Super Formula after winning last year’s F2 title.
“I am honored to join the Sauber Academy, and to take on the role of one of Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber’s reserve drivers,” Maloney said. “The Sauber name resonates with Formula 1, as it has been part of the sport for over 30 years, paving the way for so many drivers who went on to achieve great success. I am pleased to become part of this family, and I am looking forward to working together this season, as I move closer to my goal of becoming a Formula 1 driver.”
