Bearman penalized 10 places for overtaking under red flag in FP2

Ollie Bearman will have to climb from the back of the grid on Sunday in Monaco. The Haas driver has been handed a 10-place penalty after overtaking Carlos Sainz under red flag conditions during the second free practice session on Friday.

The incident occurred at the moment when the race management interrupted the session following Oscar Piastri’s accident at the first corner. The footage showed Bearman overtaking Sainz’s Ferrari while the red flags were already deployed, which immediately caught the attention of the stewards.

A defense that did not convince the commissioners.

Summoned before the commissioners, Bearman tried to explain his action. The British driver admitted seeing the red flags but argued that he didn’t want to brake abruptly, believing that doing so would have created more danger. According to him, his approach was the safest given the situation.

The commissioners were not convinced by this argument. In their verdict, they remind that the regulations require drivers to decelerate « without delay » and to return to their garages at low speed. They also insisted on the fact that any overtaking is strictly prohibited under a red flag, as drivers are unaware of what might happen in front of them.

The stewards noted that the Haas team had informed Bearman late, but the light panels and his car’s dashboard clearly displayed the red flag well before he passed. According to them, nothing could excuse this violation, especially on a circuit like Monaco where safety remains paramount.

This penalty comes with two penalty points on Bearman’s license. The driver had finished both free practice sessions in 15th place and was quite happy with the improvements made to his Haas between the first and the second session.