Bearman handed 10s penalty for leaving track in US GP sprint

Oliver Bearman was handed a 10 second penalty in Saturday’s United States Grand Prix sprint after leaving the track while defending the final points position from Andrea Kimi Antonelli, a sanction that dropped the Haas driver from eighth to last in the sprint classification and cost him the lone point on offer. The incident occurred with five laps remaining at the Turn 15 section in Austin, where Antonelli attempted an inside pass and Bearman swept wide to rejoin ahead.

The stewards concluded Antonelli’s car was sufficiently alongside at the apex to be entitled to racing room, noting that the Mercedes driver’s front axle had been alongside Bearman’s mirrors prior to and at the corner apex. They ruled Antonelli’s overtake was legitimate and that Bearman rejoined the track in front, gaining a lasting advantage by leaving the circuit. The stewards imposed the 10 second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage but did not add licence penalty points, concluding the reentry had not been unsafe.

Bearman strongly disagreed with the decision and said he briefly feared it could trigger a race ban. "Actually, I thought I had a race ban for a minute, so I was really,...