Youngster needs to watch his toes in 2026: possible race ban looms

17:20, 08 Dec

Updated: 17:50, 08 Dec

byKada Sarkozi

Oliver Bearman was once again handed a penalty point at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which means he could be a single incident away from getting a race ban.

“I left Lance space. Some of these rulings, we need to understand why they were made.”

- Oliver Bearman

Bearman is set to enter the 2026 Formula 1 season with 10 penalty points on his super license. Having 12 points would mean a race ban for the driver.

At the Abu Dhabi GP, the stewards gave the Haas driver a five-second time penalty and a single penalty point for 'more than one change of direction to defend his position.'

Their verdict states: "Car 87 was defending its position against Car 18 on the straight prior to Turn 9 and made multiple moves to change direction. This is a breach of the regulations."

The British driver will therefore have to watch his moves more carefully during the opening two months of the season. Two points are then set to expire on 23 May, 2026, which is during the seventh round of the season at the Canadian GP.

Bearman is two points away from a race ban again - Photo: Race Pictures

Bearman doesn't understands the stewards' decision

After the race, the Briton told GPblog: "More than one change of direction is the ruling. I didn't know I wasn't allowed to break the tow anymore, so that's strange. Not sure why I was penalized.

"Of course, I was moving to defend my position, but I moved to break the tow, which is one separate thing, and then I defended my position, I left Lance space. I don't know, some of these rulings, we need to understand why they were made.”

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