Haas Seeks Review of Controversial Qualifying Decision at Emilia-Romagna GP

IMOLA, Italy — Haas F1 Team has requested a review of the decision to disallow Oliver Bearman‘s final qualifying lap at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. Bearman’s lap, which would have advanced him to Q2, was deleted by the FIA after a crash involving Alpine’s Franco Colapinto triggered a red flag.

Haas and Bearman argue that the FIA made an error, claiming Bearman completed his lap before the red flag was shown. The U.S.-based team is seeking an explanation and suggestions for preventing similar incidents in the future. In a statement on Sunday, Haas expressed the need for clarification regarding the decision-making process for Bearman’s lap.

“After discussions last night with the FIA, we have subsequently asked for further written clarification,” Haas stated. “We similarly asked what measures the FIA/race control can put in place moving forward to avoid this situation to benefit F1.”

The FIA initially delayed the start of the second qualifying session to review the case but upheld its decision. Timing data revealed that Bearman crossed the line just after the red flag was shown, with an FIA statement confirming the timeline. The red flag was displayed 16:32:00, while Bearman crossed the timing line at 16:32:20.

Despite these findings, Bearman maintained his belief that the decision was unfair. “We get the red light on our dash, and that didn’t happen until quite a way after I crossed the line,” he said. “Watching the outboard video, it was clear that there was no red flag displayed when I crossed the line.” Bearman expressed frustration with the FIA’s handling of the situation, feeling that their decisions are rarely overturned.

The controversy loomed large over the qualifying session in which Oscar Piastri took pole position, amid a disappointing performance from Ferrari, with neither car making it to the top 10. The narrow Imola track proved challenging, leading to Yuki Tsunoda‘s car rolling upside down after hitting barriers.

With the FIA standing firm on its decision regarding Bearman’s lap, the Haas team hopes for a solution to ensure fair competition in future qualifying sessions.