Oliver Bearman Faces Grid Penalty for Red Flag Infraction at Monaco GP
Oliver Bearman, the Haas F1 rookie, has received a 10-place grid penalty for the Monaco Grand Prix after overtaking Carlos Sainz under red flag conditions during the second practice session. The incident occurred at La Rascasse, shortly after the session was halted due to Oscar Piastri’s crash at Sainte Devote.
The FIA’s report highlighted that Haas notified Bearman of the red flag "rather late" and "just before the overtake," despite video evidence showing a light panel signaling the red flag clearly in his view. The FIA’s regulations explicitly state that drivers must “immediately” reduce speed and proceed slowly to the pits, emphasizing that overtaking is forbidden during red flag situations for safety reasons.
Bearman defended his decision, claiming he believed abruptly slowing down would have posed a greater risk. However, the FIA maintained that there were no mitigating factors for his actions.
The FIA’s statement elaborated: “The whole purpose of requiring drivers to slow down immediately is for safety—they will not know what is in front of them or the reason for the red flag. In Monaco, this is particularly critical.” As a result, Bearman has also received two penalty points.
In the preceding practice sessions, Bearman finished 15th, a performance he described as “tough,” yet he expressed optimism about the car’s balance, stating, “We did a good step with the car from FP1 to FP2… I think there’s some good signs from today.”
Bearman’s penalty will significantly impact his starting position in the race, adding a challenging dimension to his weekend at the iconic circuit.
