Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix left Haas rookie Oliver Bearman teetering on the edge of a Formula 1 race ban following his collision in the race with Williams’ Carlos Sainz.
Bearman was running just outside the points and showing the pace that had earned him a top-10 finish at Zandvoort just a week earlier.
But a bold defensive move against Sainz at Monza’s high-speed Variante della Roggia chicane ended in disaster, with both cars spinning after contact, dashing their hopes of a points-scoring finish.
The incident predictably prompted a review by the stewards. Based on video and in-car footage, they ruled that Sainz had been entitled to the corner.
Stewards’ Verdict: Bearman at Fault
Their report was unequivocal: “The driver of Car 87 defended his position on the inside instead of giving up the position and caused the collision. The Stewards determine that the driver of Car 87 is predominantly at fault and therefore the standard penalty for such incidents is applied.”
Bearman was handed a 10-second time penalty, which dropped him to 12th place in the final classification, behind Sainz.
More critically, the stewards added two penalty points to his superlicence, bringing his 12-month tally to a precarious 10.
Under F1 regulations, accumulating 12 penalty points within a rolling 12-month period triggers an automatic one-race ban, a fate that befell Bearman’s former Haas teammate Kevin Magnussen last season.
A Lost Opportunity
For Bearman, the sting of the penalty was compounded by the sense of a missed points finish. When asked about the incident, the 20-year-old admitted he had yet to review the footage in full.
“I haven’t looked fully into it,” he told reporters. “I need to have a look, but it’s a shame because we were having a good race.
“Definitely in the points, I was right behind Bortoleto, in front of Hajar. So I think we easily have points on offer today.”
Pressed further, he reiterated that he had not yet studied the contact that left him on the brink of a ban.
“I haven’t seen the incident. It’s tough until you watch it back without emotion.”
As Haas languishes in ninth position in the Constructors’ Championship, Bearman’s speed and competitiveness have been a bright spot, often matching or outperforming his more experienced teammate, Esteban Ocon.
But with the threat of a ban looming, the young driver must tread carefully to avoid becoming only the second F1 driver to face such a penalty.
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