Oliver Bearman’s race took a disastrous turn in the Qatar Grand Prix after he was handed a 10-second time penalty for driving with his car in an unsafe condition.
What actually happened?
During his pit stop, Bearman was released from the Haas box without his left-rear wheel being properly attached.
As soon as he accelerated out of the pit lane, the system detected the issue and the team quickly realised the tyre wasn’t locked on.
He was immediately told to stop, and Haas mechanics rushed to fix the situation. The wheel was finally fitted correctly, but the entire episode cost him huge time and dropped him back to P19.
Why the penalty?
Under FIA regulations, sending a car back on track in an unsafe condition, especially with a wheel not attached, is a serious breach due to safety risks.
Even though the team corrected it, the car entered the fast lane of the pit lane while unsafe, triggering an automatic investigation and a 10-second time penalty.
Bearman’s reaction
The young Briton was furious, punching his steering wheel in anger as he knew the mistake had destroyed his race. He later rejoined but had too much ground to recover.