Multiple home heroes are chasing a victory at the British GP, hot on the heels of polesitter Max Verstappen. While Verstappen and Oscar Piastri occupy the front row, Lando Norris, George Russell, and Lewis Hamilton are not far behind. The youngest British driver, Haas rookie Oliver Bearman, also has to initiate a chase, but from the eighteenth starting position. Bearman had a strong qualifying session, but a costly crash resulted in a ten-place grid penalty.
Bearman had a turbulent Saturday at his home circuit in Silverstone. The young Brit impressively placed his Haas in Q3 and eventually qualified eighth for the British GP. However, he will start from the backfield on Sunday; the FIA imposed a ten-place grid penalty on him following a crash while entering the pit lane. Towards the end of the third free practice, Bearman – while the red flag was being waved, no less – lost control of his car. His Haas ended up in the wall while braking for the pit lane.
Afterwards, Bearman was deeply self-critical. “We were driving a very slow lap under the red flag, and when we entered the pit lane with ice-cold tires and brakes, I hadn’t taken that into account,” he explained to Sky Sports. “So yes, just a stupid mistake. When I braked, the tires were just too cold and I lost grip. So stupid – I’m really upset about it. I wish I could turn it back, but I can’t. So let’s learn from it and hope for a good race.”
Multiple Incidents
This is the second time this season that Bearman has been penalized for an incident during a red flag, following a similar violation in Monaco. The FIA stated that he had not adhered to the rules requiring drivers to slow down during a neutralization. At that time, he also received a ten-place grid penalty and two penalty points on his racing license. The incident at Silverstone earned him an additional four penalty points. His total now stands at eight.
The frustration over the penalty was particularly bitter, as Bearman had a strong qualifying round. As mentioned, the Brit was one of four home drivers at Silverstone and managed to get the crowd on their feet when he – like his compatriots – made it to Q3. The British media asked him if his good qualifying round somewhat mitigated the penalty. “It’s no relief,” he responded sharply. “I’m still angry with myself and very sad. It’s very disappointing, it’s terrible. But I can only blame myself. At the same time, I’m proud of the team. We brought an upgrade this weekend, and it clearly worked.”
Despite the disappointment, Bearman looks forward to the race with some optimism. “Normally our qualifications are not as strong as our Grands Prix, so if we can already achieve P8, that says a lot,” he concluded positively. “Hopefully we can turn that into a strong race.” With the speed of the Haas and the home crowd behind him, Bearman hopes for a comeback race on Sunday. He wants to learn from the pit lane incident above all.
