New F1 race ban update as Bearman and Lawson hit with double Brazilian GP punishment
The FIA is F1's governing body
Oliver Bearman and Liam Lawson have both edged closer to a one-race ban following their collision in Saturday’s sprint race at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Bearman and Lawson made contact at Turn 4 on the opening lap of the the mini race at Interlagos on Saturday with the Haas driver sent into a spin.
Oliver Bearman, Liam Lawson edge closer to FIA ban after double Brazilian GP penalty
The collision came moments after Bearman appeared to squeeze Lawson on to the grass on the approach to Turn 4, with both drivers pinning the blame on each other for the incident.
Lawson was heard saying over team radio: “Mate, this kid pushes me in the grass and then turns in. I don’t know where I’m meant to go.”
Bearman remarked: “It’s typical Lawson.”
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As reported by PlanetF1.com on Saturday, both drivers were penalised for the incident with Bearman and Lawson given a five-second penalty apiece.
Bearman’s punishment – for driving in a manner deemed potentially dangerous on the straight between Turns 3 and 4 – had no effect on his finishing position with the Haas driver classified 12th in the sprint.
Lawson, meanwhile, dropped three places from 13th to 16th having been found to have caused a collision at Turn 4.
The Racing Bulls driver’s penalty came despite Lawson arguing that Bearman’s squeeze had contributed directly to the collision, leaving him with understeer on cold and damp tyres.
The pair will be reunited in Sunday’s main event at Interlagos, where Lawson and Bearman will share the fourth row of the grid in seventh and eighth place respectively.
As well as their in-race penalties, Bearman and Lawson were both handed a single penalty point on their FIA superlicences, putting them a step closer to a one-race ban.
Under F1’s current system, introduced in 2014, drivers automatically trigger a one-race ban if they accumulate 12 penalty points within a 12-month period.
Bearman’s Haas predecessor Kevin Magnussen became the first driver to be banned under the system last year, with the Dane forced to miss the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku.
As reported by PlanetF1.com earlier this week, Bearman arrived in Brazil breathing a sigh of relief after having two penalty points wiped from his record.
With last year’s Brazilian Grand Prix – a race in which he deputised for an unwell Magnussen – taking place on November 3 2024, the two penalty points Bearman received for causing a collision with then-Williams driver Franco Colapinto were nulled last Monday.
That left the Haas driver on eight penalty points heading to Brazil, with Bearman’s latest penalty point increasing his tally to nine – just three away from a ban.
It means Bearman remains in a precarious position having been hit with four penalty points for a single incident at this year’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone, where he crashed at pit entry under red flag conditions in FP3.
Bearman’s other penalty points were incurred at the Monaco Grand Prix, where he was hit with two points for overtaking Carlos Sainz under a red flag in second practice, and the Italian Grand Prix where he was found to have caused a collision with Sainz.
The British driver’s tally is not scheduled to decrease until May 23 2026, the one-year anniversary of his red-flag infringement in Monte Carlo.
More on Oliver Bearman and Liam Lawson from PlanetF1.com
Lawson, meanwhile, now finds himself on seven penalty points – and level in second place with Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll on the F1 disciplinary chart – for the current 12-month window.
The New Zealander’s previous transgressions include causing a collision with Alex Albon at last year’s Qatar Grand Prix (two penalty points) and causing a collision with Stroll in Bahrain this year (one).
Lawson was also penalised for causing a collision with Nico Hulkenberg at this year’s Bahrain Grand Prix (two) and with Fernando Alonso in Miami (one).
Red Bull driver and reigning four-time world champion Max Verstappen sat just one point away from a ban earlier this season.
However, Verstappen now sits fourth on the disciplinary chart on six points, behind Bearman, Lawson and Stroll.
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