Oliver Bearman Faces Early 2026 Race Ban Risk After Latest FIA Penalty
Haas rookie Oliver Bearman begins 2026 just two penalty points from suspension after receiving his 10th point for Abu Dhabi defending. With points expiring in May, he risks missing early-season races unless he avoids further incidents.
Haas driver Oliver Bearman enters the 2026 F1 season with 10 penalty points—just two away from an automatic race ban—after the FIA added a point for aggressive defending against Lance Stroll in Abu Dhabi. The 20-year-old, who outscored teammate Esteban Ocon with 41 points in his debut season, now walks a disciplinary tightrope through the first half of next year.
Why it matters:
Bearman's precarious penalty tally threatens to derail momentum from his standout rookie campaign, where he secured nine points finishes including a fourth in Mexico. An early-season suspension would disrupt Haas' continuity with its promising young driver and force costly mid-season adjustments—a scenario the team faced in 2024 when Kevin Magnussen's ban triggered Bearman's unexpected debut.
The details:
- Abu Dhabi incident: Received one point for multiple steering corrections while defending from Stroll at Turn 9, triggering the current crisis.
- Monaco GP: Four points for overtaking Carlos Sainz under red flags during the safety car period.
- British GP: Four points for crashing at the pit entry under red flags—a separate incident from Monaco despite similar circumstances.
- Italian GP: Two points for causing a collision with Sainz at Monza, compounding his tally.
- Brazilian GP: One point for forcing Liam Lawson onto the grass during the sprint race's opening lap.
What's next:
Bearman remains at risk until May's Canadian Grand Prix, when his Monaco penalty points expire—reducing his tally to eight. Until then, any single incident carrying two or more points (like a collision or dangerous driving) would trigger suspension. The timeline creates intense pressure during early-season races on unfamiliar 2026-spec cars, where adaptation errors are likely. Haas engineers will likely implement stricter in-race communication protocols to prevent minor mistakes from becoming season-altering penalties. If Bearman navigates the first six races cleanly, his focus can shift fully to building on 2025's success without disciplinary shadows.