Bearman vows to adapt in Baku to avoid F1 race ban

Bearman picked up a 10-second penalty and two penalty points for his clash with Carlos Sainz at Monza, leaving him on a total of 10.

With penalty points remaining on a driver’s license for 12 months, the 20-year-old must avoid further sanctions until November, when his earliest points begin to expire.

“It’s my fault for getting the penalty regardless of if we agree with the rules or not,” Bearman said.

“But it’s a tough one to take. That’s not how any of us have grown up racing, really.”

The Monza incident added fuel to ongoing debate over Formula 1’s racing guidelines, with stewards having simultaneously overturned a penalty given to Sainz in Zandvoort.

That case was reclassified as a racing incident after Liam Lawson lost control, though officials still argued Sainz “had no right to room” on the outside, highlighting continued confusion over when drivers are entitled to space.

Bearman said the clash had forced him to adapt his approach in wheel-to-wheel fights, even if it goes against his instincts.

“In that split second where you brake and you see how fast you’re entering the corner with respect to your competitor, you don’t then think about the three-page guideline they sent you in January. It’s not possible,” he explained.

“From my side at no point was I out of control. I was totally just racing to the corner with another driver and then I didn’t get left any space at all… but the rules are the rules.”

Now, Bearman said he will have to take fewer risks.

“I would hope to get given space on the inside, but clearly there’s a possibility that that won’t happen, so I can’t take that risk.

“It’s a shame. I guess I’ll just go around the outside now.”

His predicament follows Max Verstappen’s own close call earlier this year, when the reigning world champion sat on 10 points for two races after contact with George Russell in Spain.

Kevin Magnussen remains the only driver to serve a suspension under the penalty system, missing last year’s race in Baku, the very weekend Bearman stepped in to make his Haas debut.