F1 | Haas rookie Oliver Bearman reaches superlicense limit after Abu Dhabi. Haas driver Oliver Bearman faces a huge risk next season after his super licence penalty points reached 10.

Oliver Bearman will approach the next Formula 1 season in an extremely delicate situation after narrowly avoiding an automatic race suspension at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The young Haas driver collected another penalty in the season finale, bringing his total superlicense points to 10. The maximum allowed is 12 points, after which a race suspension is automatically triggered.

What makes the situation even more concerning is that none of Bearman’s penalty points will expire before May. This means he cannot afford to lose any additional points on his superlicense until the Canadian Grand Prix.

The Abu Dhabi incident

The latest contested incident occurred during an on-track battle with Lance Stroll at Turn 9 in Abu Dhabi. While defending his position, the stewards judged that Bearman made more than one change of direction—a maneuver strictly prohibited. As a result, he was handed a five-second penalty and had one point deducted from his superlicense.

Bearman’s reaction

The penalty directly affected his race result, dropping Ollie Bearman to 12th place and out of the points. After the race, the British rookie appeared visibly upset. Speaking to the media, Bearman said: “More than one change of direction is the reason. I didn’t know it was no longer allowed to break the tow, so it’s strange. I don’t know why I was penalized.”

He added: “Obviously, I was moving to defend my position, but I moved to break the tow, which is a separate thing, and then defended my position.”

Bearman emphasized that there was no dangerous driving involved: “I left enough space, so I don’t know. Some of these decisions we need to understand why they are taken, because I don’t know.”

When asked exactly where the incident happened, the Haas driver replied with visible frustration: “It was at the entry to Turn 9. I need to look at it myself. I’m as annoyed as you are.”

In summary, Oliver Bearman’s penalty at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has pushed his Super Licence penalty points tally to 10, leaving him just two points away from an automatic one-race suspension in the upcoming F1 season. With no points expiring until May, the Haas driver must navigate the initial races of the year with extreme caution. The Ferrari junior himself expressed frustration and confusion over the stewards’ decision regarding his move to ‘break the tow’ during the race.