BREAKING: FIA Announce Penalty Verdict for Ollie Bearman After R…read more
Ollie Bearman Hit with 10-Place Grid Penalty for Red Flag Violation in Monaco GP Practice
Haas driver and Ferrari academy member Ollie Bearman has received a 10-place grid penalty for breaching red flag rules during practice at the Monaco Grand Prix, dealing a serious setback to his race prospects.
The penalty follows an incident where Bearman overtook Carlos Sainz and a Williams car after red flags were shown, prompted by Isack Hadjar crashing into the barriers. According to F1 regulations, overtaking is strictly prohibited once a red flag is deployed.
While Bearman claimed he received the red flag message late and chose not to brake abruptly to avoid a dangerous situation, the stewards noted that a red flag panel was clearly visible ahead of him and that immediate slowing down is mandatory.
“The driver claimed that slowing suddenly would have been unsafe, but we disagreed with his approach,” the stewards stated. “Drivers must slow down immediately and avoid overtaking for safety reasons, especially on a track like Monaco where visibility and space are limited.”
As a result, Bearman has been handed a 10-place grid drop for Sunday’s race along with two penalty points on his Super Licence. With overtaking notoriously difficult in Monaco and Bearman only managing 15th in FP2, the penalty is likely to see him start near the back of the grid, making a strong race result much harder to achieve.
