Gabriele Mini will partner Andrea Kimi Antonelli for Prema when F2 heads to Azerbaijan this weekend after full-season driver Oliver Bearman was called up by Haas to replace Kevin Magnussen, who is serving a race ban for the weekend.
The ban came after the Dane notched up 12 points on his FIA superlicence for a rolling 12-month period, making him the first driver since Romain Grosjean in 2012 to be sidelined for on-track conduct.
Mini competed for Prema in F3 this season but was denied the title when Leonardo Fornaroli (Trident) executed a last-corner pass on Christian Mansell (ART) at Monza. The 19-year-old was then disqualified from the feature race for running tyre pressures that were below the minimum prescribed levels on all four corners.
The Italian is expected to step up to an F2 seat next season, something that is likely to happen with Prema given both Antonelli and Bearman have had their F1 seats confirmed for 2025.
Speaking of his unexpectedly early championship debut, the Alpine junior said: “[I’m] very happy to be joining Prema Racing for the FIA Formula 2 event at Baku. We had a strong season in 2024, and we have been fighting for the title until the last corner.
“Formula 2 is the main option for 2025 so it’s also very important to join early at Baku. It’s a good opportunity for me to learn with the new car and series.”
Mini initially competed for Prema in the Italian F4 and ADAC F4 championships in 2020, before linking up with Hitech and ART as he competed in Formula Regional competitions.
He continued with Hitech for his maiden F3 season in 2023, but rejoined Prema for that year’s Macau Grand Prix, a relationship that continued into the recently ended F3 campaign.
Oliver Bearman, Prema Racing
Photo by: Shameem Fahath
Bearman also missed the Jeddah F2 round earlier this season when he was called up by Ferrari to replace Carlos Sainz, who was suffering from appendicitis.
The late hour of the switch, coming after Bearman had qualified on pole, meant Prema had to withdraw his car from the two races.
“We cannot wait to see Gabriele make his FIA Formula 2 debut,” said team principal Rene Rosin.
“It’s very rewarding to see him graduate to the top junior single-seater series after making his very first steps with our team back in 2020. It will be a useful opportunity for both him and the team. On the other hand, we want to wish Ollie the best in his second Formula 1 start and we look forward to having him back for the final part of the year.”