F1 star on brink of race ban after brutal penalty at Italian Grand Prix

Oliver Bearman is now just two points away from an automatic race ban after the FIA stewards hit him with a 10-second time penalty and two penalty points for a collision with Carlos Sainz at the Italian Grand Prix.

The Haas racer was caught on the side of the Williams driver, who was tagged into a spin after contact with Bearman's right-front tyre. The Brit came on to the radio to argue that Sainz turned in on him, but the stewards disagreed with that viewpoint. Before the end of the Grand Prix, he was slapped with an extreme penalty that ended his hopes of salvaging a top-10 finish from his trip to Monza.

This leaves Bearman walking a tightrope, just two points away from a one-race suspension. His next points won't be removed from his super license until the start of November, meaning the 20-year-old will need to weather the next four race weekends without an incident to avoid sitting out an event.

"It's really sad, honestly, as the car felt great today," Bearman said after the chequered flag. "I had to really fight as we were slow in the straights, but without the incident with Carlos Sainz, I think we could've been fighting for points. It's just a big shame."

Bearman now finds himself on the other side of the penalty point line, after replacing the suspended Kevin Magnussen for Haas at the 2024 Azerbaijan GP. Should Haas need to step in and find a replacement, Ryo Hirakawa is the likeliest to deputise, although Ritomo Miyata and Sho Tsuboi have also tested their machinery recently.

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On the other side of the incident was Sainz, who was forced to watch team-mate Alex Albon overtake Kimi Antonelli for seventh in the Drivers' Championship standings, while going pointless for the sixth Grand Prix in succession.

"When I went for a move with Ollie, unfortunately, we touched," Sainz said, reflecting on the clash. "That pretty much ruined my race. I got damage. Not the easiest race. We also ran into some battery issues, so yeah, a difficult day in the office.

The four-time Grand Prix winner picked up a 10-second time penalty last weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix following a crash involving Liam Lawson, and also angered Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar after an incident during the first part of qualifying. Sainz will be hoping for a cleaner run in Baku next time out.