F1 team forced to make late driver change hours before sprint qualifying at Brazilian GP – F1

The Brazilian Grand Prix sprint will see a changed grid with one driver forced to pull out through sickness.

Interlagos will play host to two races this weekend, with the sprint on Saturday followed by the usual Grand Prix on the Sunday.

With another sprint race taking place in Qatar, that means there are six races between now and the end of the season.

The Mexico City Grand Prix breathed some life back into the title fight, with Max Verstappen’s 20-second time penalty for incidents involving Lando Norris cutting his lead over the Brit down to 47 points.

But the 19 regular drivers will be joined by a familiar name that isn’t already part of the grid for the sprint race in Sao Paulo.

Haas have confirmed that Kevin Magnussen will be absent for Friday practice and sprint qualifying through an unspecified sickness.

It is unclear how serious the sickness is, but it is enough to prevent him from driving today and he has been replaced by the team’s reserve driver Oliver Bearman.

Bearman, who will join the Haas team as a full-time driver in 2025, filled in for Magnussen at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix when the Dane received a one-race suspension for incurring 12 penalty points.

And he replaced Ferrari‘s Carlos Sainz, who needed emergency surgery to remove his appendix, at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix in Jeddah.

And alongside his full-time F2 duties this season, Bearman is hardly rusty when it comes to driving single-seater cars, with the Brit seen as the obvious replacement to once again step in for Magnussen.

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As his entry into sprint qualifying has been confirmed, the Brit will drive in the sprint race even if Magnussen recovers in time.

The Dane will return for qualifying and the Grand Prix itself if he is fully fit, as that section of the weekend is effectively a separate entry.

In a statement, Haas announced: “MoneyGram Haas F1 Team driver Kevin Magnussen will not participate in Friday’s track running at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix after suffering with sickness.

“Official reserve driver Oliver Bearman will take over driving duties. The team wishes Kevin a quick recovery and will provide a further update in due course.”