FIA confirms British GP a disqualification due to…read more
Sky Sports F1 pundit Martin Brundle has weighed in on the penalty handed to British rookie Oliver Bearman following a serious incident during final practice at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone. Brundle remarked that, in previous eras, such an incident could have led to Bearman being disqualified entirely from the race weekend.
During FP3 on Saturday morning, Bearman crashed into the pit lane barriers, damaging the front wing of his Haas car. The crash occurred under red flag conditions that had been triggered due to Gabriel Bortoleto’s earlier incident. Bearman’s collision prompted an immediate investigation by FIA stewards, who ultimately judged that he was driving recklessly at a time when extreme caution was required.
As a result, the 20-year-old was hit with a 10-place grid penalty and was docked four penalty points on his superlicence — the maximum possible for a single incident. These points were given due to the serious nature of the infraction, as red flag conditions are implemented only when the track poses significant danger. Stewards highlighted that Bearman’s behavior during these conditions was unacceptable and needed to be addressed with the strictest disciplinary measures, in line with the FIA’s latest penalty guidelines.
Originally, Bearman had delivered a strong performance in qualifying and was set to start Sunday’s race from eighth on the grid. However, the penalty saw him relegated to 18th place, significantly reducing his chances of scoring points in what was his first Formula One race on home soil.
Commenting during live coverage, Brundle expressed that Bearman’s actions could have resulted in much harsher consequences had the incident occurred in earlier decades. “In past years, that sort of mistake could have seen a driver sent home and disqualified from the whole event,” Brundle said. While he acknowledged that Bearman likely didn’t intend to cause harm, he stressed that drivers must take red flag warnings seriously. “You simply can’t be pushing flat out into the pit lane when red flags are out — you never know what might be around the next corner.”
This latest penalty brings Bearman’s total to eight penalty points on his superlicence. Should he accumulate 12 points within a 12-month period, he would face an automatic one-race suspension. That leaves the young British driver with little margin for further error as the season progresses.
Bearman now faces the challenge of climbing from the back of the grid, with the odds stacked against him as he aims to finish in the points at his hom
e Grand Prix.
