In the context of the United States Grand Prix of Formula 1, British driver Oliver Bearman expressed his surprise at the 10-second penalty imposed for his collision with Pierre Gasly. Bearman, who gained two positions on the first lap of the race in Austin, attempted to overtake Gasly on the next lap but ended up touching the side of his car after placing two wheels on the curb inside turn 13.
The contact, although minor, caused significant damage to both vehicles, and the FIA stewards deemed the maneuver warranted the penalty. “I was pretty shocked, to be honest,” Bearman admitted. “If anything, it’s a racing incident. I felt aggrieved to receive a 10-second penalty, especially considering other incidents this year that have not led to penalties or have received only five-second penalties. Ten seconds for an incident like this seems excessive to me.”
The driver of Haas F1 Team defended his action, stating that he had enough of his car alongside Gasly to justify the maneuver. “I didn’t block, I didn’t lose control, I just couldn’t disappear at that moment. The penalty seemed crazy to me, given the circumstances.”
In addition to the penalty, Bearman experienced mechanical issues that affected the performance of his car during the race. “It was a very small touch, but it caused the underside of the vehicle to slowly disconnect, thus deteriorating the car’s performance over the laps. At one point, I felt fine, but gradually the situation became unsustainable,” he explained.
On lap 11, Bearman had to let his teammate Esteban Ocon pass, acknowledging that his competitiveness had already been compromised. “Pierre passed me and I felt relatively competitive at first, but I quickly noticed a drastic change in performance. I didn’t want to hinder Ocon, as we were fighting as a team to overcome areas like Audi.”
Ultimately, Bearman was forced to retire from the race on lap 24 due to the damage. “I was making the car’s dangerous situation better. The driving was becoming increasingly unpredictable, and engine reliability was also a concern,” he concluded.
For his part, Gasly retained 10th position, but lamented that the contact with Bearman hindered his racing options. “It was a minor touch, but it cost us in terms of downforce; we lost nearly 10 points and that hampered our performance,” he noted. “I’m satisfied with the 10th position, but I would have liked to see what we could have accomplished without that failure.”
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
SourceID: SRC_27ce5e75a459742d109d059bdffa7c5b1039633f