Haas Rookie Bearman Penalized for Overtaking Under Red Flags in Monaco

MONACO — Haas rookie Ollie Bearman has been hit with a 10-place grid penalty for the Monaco Grand Prix after the stewards found him guilty of a red flag breach during practice on May 23, 2025. He was found to have overtaken fellow driver Carlos Sainz while the session was neutralized after a crash involving Oscar Piastri.

The incident occurred in the second practice session, which was halted early on for Piastri’s crash at Sainte Devote. Despite the red flags, television footage showed Bearman passing Sainz at La Rascasse. Following the incident, Bearman and a Haas team representative consulted with the stewards.

The stewards noted that the Haas team had informed Bearman of the red flags too late, just before the overtaking maneuver. They pointed out that Bearman should have recognized the red flag signals from both a light panel and the dashboard, which displayed the warning prior to the overtake.

According to the stewards’ decision, the regulations require drivers to “immediately” reduce speed during red flag conditions. They emphasized that overtaking is forbidden in such situations to ensure safety. “The whole purpose of requiring drivers to slow down immediately is for safety,” the panel stated. “They will not know what is in front of them or the reason for the red flag being shown.”

Bearman defended his actions, claiming he saw the flags but felt that abruptly slowing down could have been more dangerous. However, the stewards disagreed and imposed a grid penalty along with two demerit points on his super license.

Bearman expressed frustration over the decision, stating, “I feel like it was a harsh penalty, honestly, for everything that happened.” His penalty adds to the drama of a qualifying session where at least two drivers face penalties due to prior incidents.

Despite the setback, Bearman concluded that starting from the back of the grid could allow for a strategic advantage during the race. “I think we can do something crazy and benefit from that,” he said, highlighting the possibility of a unique racing strategy to reclaim positions during the race.