"I was unable to vanish" – Oliver Bearman reflects on the "insane" penalty stemming from the incident with Pierre Gasly.

“I was quite shocked to be honest,” Bearman remarked. “If anything, it was a racing incident. I felt a bit unfairly treated for it to be a 10-second penalty, especially when considering some incidents this year that either weren't penalized or received only a five-second penalty. Ten seconds for this kind of incident seems very excessive in my view, given the circumstances.

“I thought I had enough of my car alongside to warrant, or at least feel like I deserved a bit of space, but I didn't really get that. I was given perhaps half a car width. I was climbing onto the curb to avoid contact, but I simply couldn't. Once I committed to the move, there was no way to back out. I didn't lock up, I didn't lose control; it was just that I couldn't evade contact at that moment. A 10-second penalty feels extreme, considering all those factors.

Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

“To be honest, the more punishing aspect was that I sustained some damage. It was a very minor contact, but it essentially loosened the floorboard, which gradually vibrated loose over the following laps, causing the car to deteriorate. I had about five laps where I felt quite good and everything was fine, but then gradually, lap after lap, the car got worse, and eventually, it was game over.”

The damage prompted Bearman to allow team-mate Esteban Ocon to pass on lap 11.

“Pierre got past me, and I still felt somewhat competitive,” the Haas driver added. “The gap between Pierre in front and Esteban behind was quite stable; it was just over one second.

“But then, from one lap to the next, we noticed something fall off the car. In sector one, I lost about eight tenths to my own time from one lap to the next. It was clear that I had suddenly transitioned from a bit of damage to a catastrophic level of damage on the car.

“I just thought, ‘I'm not in this race anymore; I’ll let Esteban through’. He was approaching, and I didn't want to impede him because that's not my goal. We're racing as a team to try and beat Audi, so I let him pass at the first opportunity.”

Ultimately, Bearman had to retire from the race on lap 24 due to the earlier collision. “It was becoming worse; it was becoming unsafe,” he said. “The car was very unpredictable, and additionally, the mileage on the engine and all parts are significant.”

Pierre Gasly, Alpine

Meanwhile, Gasly managed to maintain that 10th position with an eight-second gap to Liam Lawson at the finish line, but he believed the encounter with Bearman hindered his ability to compete with the Racing Bulls.

“It was a minor contact, but it significantly damaged the right side of our floor, particularly the front and mid-section; I think we lost close to 10 [downforce] points, which made our afternoon quite challenging,” the Frenchman stated.

“I'm pleased, considering we finished 10th. However, I would have liked to see how I could have fared against Liam without that damage. We'll never know.”

Additional reporting by Ronald Vording