Why it matters:
Haas faces potential penalties after Oliver Bearman's car was not covered within regulations following qualifying for the Dutch Grand Prix. This procedural breach could lead to various sanctions, impacting the team's standing in the race.
The details:
- Formula 1 technical delegate Jo Bauer referred Haas to the stewards for failing to cover Oliver Bearman’s car.
- Under parc ferme rules, cars must be covered two hours after the checkered flag in qualifying, a regulation designed to prevent setup changes.
- Haas reportedly did not comply with this for Bearman's car, triggering the investigation.
What's at stake:
- As a sporting breach rather than a technical one, penalties can range from a warning to exclusion from qualifying results or a pit lane start for the race.
- An uncovered car raises suspicions of potential illegal setup adjustments, though no evidence has been presented.
- Bearman qualified 19th, expressing frustration with the car's performance: "Starting off in FP3 on the hard tyre we looked incredible... Then we put the soft on, we don’t go any faster. So I think we’re misunderstanding something out there."
The big picture:
Haas endured a challenging qualifying session, with Esteban Ocon qualifying 18th, just one position ahead of his teammate Bearman. The team's performance struggles are now compounded by this procedural incident, adding further pressure ahead of the race.