The UK Grand Prix this weekend marks Oliver Bearman’s first home race as a Formula 1 driver.
However, his debut doesn’t kick off in the best way.
Bearman received a four-point penalty on his FIA Super License due to an incident towards the end of FP3 at Silverstone on Saturday. Debris on the track prompted a red flag, which requires all drivers to slow down and head to the pit lane. While Bearman initially reduced speed after the red flag was shown, he unexpectedly accelerated as he neared the pit lane, resulting in a crash at the entrance.
Bearman communicated over the radio that his brakes had cooled because of the slowdown mandated by the red flag. Nonetheless, the race stewards found this explanation unconvincing. After FP3, Bearman was called in to discuss the incident, and the stewards noted that his actions could have contributed to the crash, but they didn’t see it as a mitigating circumstance.
It is clear that the driver of car 87 did not cautiously approach the pit lane; instead, he accelerated as if entering under race conditions. Previous laps showed he was faster during this particular lap, even with a red flag in effect.
Unfortunately, he lost control and crashed into a barrier at high speed. The driver indicated he miscalculated the cooling of his brakes during the slow laps necessitated by the red flag. While this may have played a role in the crash, we do not consider it a mitigating factor.
This marks Bearman’s second 10-place grid drop this season for an incident during a red flag situation. Earlier in May, at the Monaco Grand Prix, he received a similar penalty for an incident during FP2 involving Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz Jr.
Additionally, Bearman accrued two more penalty points for this latest incident, bringing his total to eight points, just four short of a one-race suspension.
