Haas driver Oliver Bearman must steer clear of trouble in the upcoming races. A suspension looms for the young Brit, who, due to an unfortunate collision with Carlos Sainz in Monza, has accumulated ten penalty points. If he receives two more penalty points in the next four Grands Prix, he will have to sit out a race. However, several former drivers are coming to Bearman’s defense. How justified was that penalty in Italy?
Oliver Bearman received a ten-second time penalty and two penalty points for being found at fault in a collision with Carlos Sainz. The Haas rookie now has ten penalty points on his racing license, the first of which will not expire until the Brazilian GP in November. As a result, Bearman must avoid unnecessary risks in the upcoming races in Azerbaijan, Singapore, the United States, and Mexico.
The incident occurred in the chicane of turn four, where Sainz attempted to overtake on the outside. The Spaniard was half a car length ahead, while Bearman was defending his position on the inside. As they entered the chicane, the Brit was forced into a tight turn, leading to contact. Several former drivers believe that Bearman should have been given more room and that Sainz could have avoided the collision.
‘Sainz should have given Bearman room’
“Oliver Bearman is only half a car length behind, half a car length,” an indignant Nico Rosberg told Sky Sports. “It’s not as if only his front wing is in the flank, we’re talking about a significant part of his car. Why doesn’t Sainz just leave some room there? Give me a reason. If he had left some room for Bearman, nothing would have happened and everything would have been fine.”
Suspension Looms for Bearman Following Incident with Charles Leclerc in Monza
Former racer Martin Brundle also commented on the incident. “After several infractions, Bearman is now just two penalty points away from a suspension. That being said, I found Monza to be really unfair,” the Brit judged in his column. “Charles Leclerc was partially ahead when they entered the chicane, but Bearman can’t just disappear on the inside. In my opinion, it was allowed to block the entrance of the turn and overtake him on the exit. Leclerc later described it as a typical Monza incident. I believe it was, but Bearman nonetheless received a ten-second penalty and two penalty points on his license.”
Here’s the incident for you to judge:
