Ollie Bearman is on the verge of a one-race ban from Formula 1 after a big crash at the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday.
Max Verstappen won from pole at Monza in a race that was overshadowed by McLaren controversially ordering Oscar Piastri to give up second-place for Lando Norris.
There were a string of collisions further down the field, most notably on lap 41 when Williams’ Carlos Sainz tried to overtake Bearman but the pair made contact and were spun around on the track.
Both drivers were able to continue but finished outside of the points and initially blamed each other for the crash, with the Haas star saying over the team radio: ‘He just turned across in front of me like I wasn’t there.’
The stewards ruled in Sainz’s favour however and Bearman was punished with a 10-second time penalty and two points on his superlicence, bringing his tally up to 10, the most on the grid.
Any driver who receives 12 points within a 12 month period is handed a one-race ban, with the first of Bearman’s penalty points not due to expire until November 3.
There are four grand prix before that date – Azerbaijan, Singapore, USA and Mexico – meaning the British rookie will have to be extremely careful over the coming months.
Since the penalty point system was introduced over a decade ago, only one driver has been suspended, namely former Haas star Kevin Magnussen last year.
Ironically, his replacement on that occasion was Bearman, who took part in his second F1 race before landing a full-time seat for 2025.
Should the 20-year-old get suspended, his likely replacement would be Haas reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa.
FIA explain Ollie Bearman penalty
‘Car 55 [Sainz] attempted to overtake Car 87 [Bearman] on the outside into Turn 4 and had its front axle ahead of the front axle of Car 87 at the apex, thereby earning the right to the racing line.
‘The driver of Car 87 defended his position on the inside instead of giving up the position and caused the collision. The Stewards determine that the driver of Car 87 is predominantly at fault and therefore the standard penalty for such incidents is applied.
‘Competitors are reminded that they have the right to appeal certain decisions of the Stewards, in accordance with Article 15 of the FIA International Sporting Code and Chapter 4 of the FIA Judicial and Disciplinary Rules, within the applicable time limits.’
Discussing the crash after the Italian Grand Prix, Bearman said: ‘I haven’t looked fully into it.
‘I haven’t seen the incident. It’s tough until you watch it back without emotion. I need to have a look, but it’s a shame because we were having a good race.
‘Definitely [could have finished] in the points, I was right behind [Gabriel] Bortoleto, in front of [Isack] Hajar. So I think we easily had points on offer today.’
How Ollie Bearman got his F1 penalty points
- Two points for causing a collision with Franco Colapinto at the 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix – expires November 3.
- Two points for overtaking under red flags in practice for the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix – expires May 23, 2026.
- Four points for crashing under red flags in practice for the 2025 British Grand Prix – expires July 5, 2026.
- Two points for causing a collision with Carlos Sainz at the 2025 Italian Grand Prix – expires September 7, 2026.
Bearman wasn’t the only driver to pick up penalty points in Monza, with Esteban Ocon in the other Haas receiving one for forcing Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin off the track.
Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli also got one point for ‘driving erratically’ while battling Williams’ Alex Albon.
With eight races of the 2025 F1 season left, Bearman is 17th in the standings, with Haas ninth in the constructors’ table.
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