Bearman punished! Starting place problems in front of the Monaco-GP!

Bearman punished! Starting place problems in front of the Monaco-GP!

Monaco, Monaco, Frankreich - On May 25, 2025, Oliver Bearman, the rookie driver of the Haas team, received a significant punishment for the upcoming Monaco Grand Prix. This punishment was imposed by the FIA ​​and affects its placement in the race.

The cause of the draconian punishment is a violation of the standard, which was determined during the first two training sessions on May 23. There was an interruption of the session due to an accident from Isack Hadjar, which led to red flags. Although Bearman tried to overtake Carlos Sainz in front of the red flags, this was against the regulations.

punishment and reactions

The racing commissioners decided that Bearman has to be punished for his violation of the rules with a criminal transfer of ten places. The rookie received the signal for the red flag shortly before overtaking, but did not react appropriately. Both a light panel and the dashboard of his vehicle had reported the red flag, which would have obliged him to immediately reduce the speed and safely return to his boxes.

In addition, Bearman admitted to noticing the red flags, but decided against an abrupt braking. He saw this measure more dangerous and wanted to react more safely by controlled braking. This decision ultimately led to his punishment, and now Bearman is expected to start from behind in the grid, unless he improves in a better position than tenth during qualifying.

new pit stop rules in Monaco

Another relevant change for the Monaco Grand Prix affects the new pit stop rules. From this year, the drivers are obliged to complete at least two pit stops in the Monaco Grand Prix, regardless of the weather conditions. The aim of this change is to make the racing events more exciting and to address the problem of limited overtaking options.

The rule for using at least two different tire mixtures only remains in dry weather. In wet conditions, the drivers can switch to the same tire mixture after each stop. The new rule was approved by the World Motorsport Council and is intended to improve the sporting spectacle in the already demanding city course of Monaco.

The changes were positively received by prominent voices in Formula 1, including Charles Leclerc and Christian Horner. The Monaco Grand Prix 2022 had previously caused discussions because planned tire changes were made possible by a red flag in the first round. The suspicion of too little tactical possibilities is cleared out with the new rules.