British GP: Haas' Ollie Bearman Handed 10-Grid Penalty After Red Flag Infringement At Practice

Last Updated:July 05, 2025, 19:16 IST

Ollie Bearman gets a 10-place grid penalty for the British Grand Prix after crashing into barriers under a red flag during practice at Silverstone, violating regulations.

Ollie Bearman of Haas (X)

Ollie Bearman will serve a 10-place grid penalty for the British Grand Prix after committing a red flag infringement during the third and final practice session at Silverstone.

The session was already turbulent for the Haas rookie. Earlier, Bearman triggered a red flag when a piece of bodywork detached from his VF-25, requiring marshals to retrieve it from the track.

However, his troubles escalated in the final stages of the session when a second red flag was issued following Gabriel Bortoleto’s spin that left his Kick Sauber stranded in the gravel.

As Bearman made his way into the pit lane under the red flag, he spun and crashed into the barriers, damaging the front wing of his car.

Stewards Cite Red Flag Violation

The stewards launched an investigation into Bearman’s pit entry incident and determined he had failed to adhere to red flag regulations.

As a result, the 20-year-old was handed a 10-place grid drop for Sunday’s race.

A statement from the stewards detailed their findings:

“Car 87 had slowed down for the red flag and, as he was approaching Turn 15, accelerated significantly to race pace and entered the pit entry road at 260kph. He lost control of the car in the pit entry road and crashed into the barriers."

The statement referenced Article 37.6(a) of the Formula One Sporting Regulations and Article 2.5.4.1(b) of Appendix H of the International Sporting Code, which state that all cars must “immediately reduce speed and proceed slowly back to the pit lane" when a red flag is shown.

Penalty Points Add to Bearman’s Tally

In addition to the grid penalty, Bearman received four penalty points on his super licence, bringing his total to eight.

Home Debut Marred by Setback

The penalty comes during a landmark weekend for Bearman, who is competing in his first home Grand Prix as a full-time Formula 1 driver. It was at last year’s British Grand Prix that Haas announced the youngster would join their 2025 lineup.

Siddarth Sriram

After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term...Read More

After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term...

Read More

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News sports British GP: Haas' Ollie Bearman Handed 10-Grid Penalty After Red Flag Infringement At Practice