Ollie Bearman has received a 10-place grid drop for the British Grand Prix and had four penalty points added to his licence following his crash approaching the pitlane during a red flag period at the end of final practice.
Bearman was simulating his race approach to the pit entry - standard practice in such sessions - but locked his rear wheels and nosed in to the barriers on the right-hand side, breaking the front wing and nose on his Haas Formula 1 car in the process.
He was placed under investigation for a "red flag infringement" as FP3 finished - the session had been stopped after Gabriel Bortoleto crashed - which signalled he was at risk of a big grid penalty.
And to round off a hectic end to the session, Ollie Bearman hits the barriers entering the pits 😵#F1 #BritishGP pic.twitter.com/mncqKOmIiR
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 5, 2025
The standard offence of "failing to slow for red flags or lights on the track" carries a recommended 10-place grid penalty if done in practice, according to the FIA's penalty guidelines.
The stewards duly issued that penalty and an extra sanction of four penalty points.
In communicating the decision the stewards took a particularly dim view of Bearman's crash, saying it was "beyond doubt that the driver of car #87 did not proceed slowly back to the pitlane" under the red flag as required under the FIA's International Sporting Code.
They said Bearman was driving at 260km/h as he got to the pit entry and lost control. "In fact, we looked at a previous in-lap under normal racing conditions and found that he was faster in this lap, under a red flag," the stewards added.
"The driver informed us that he misjudged the fact that his brakes were not warm because the lap was done slowly, due to the red flag.
"While this may have been a factor contributing to the crash, we did not consider it to be a mitigating factor."
It is the second 10-place grid penalty Bearman has been handed this season for red-flag infringements.
In FP2 in Monaco, Bearman overtook the Williams of Carlos Sainz after passing signage on his right-hand side that clearly indicated there was a red flag following an Oscar Piastri crash.
Prior to his Silverstone pit entry crash, Bearman had set the sixth-fastest time in final practice in Haas's upgrade VF-25.
