Haas referred to stewards after post-qualifying breach
Haas has been referred to the stewards following qualifying in Zandvoort.
The Haas F1 team has been referred to the stewards for a procedural breach following qualifying for the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.
According to Formula 1 technical delegate Jo Bauer, the American operation failed to cover Oliver Bearman’s car following the conclusion of the qualifying hour.
Oliver Bearman at risk after Sporting breach identified
Parc ferme regulations prevent teams from making changes to their car, though a number of routine checks are permitted to ensure reliability and safety ahead of the race.
As part of that, a window of opportunity exists for that work to be carried out under the observation of officials.
However, according to the Sporting Regulations, cars must be covered two hours after the chequered flag falls at the end of qualifying. According to Bauer, that did not happen for Bearman’s car, and he has thus referred the matter to the stewards.
Typically, when a technical breach is identified, the punishment is exclusion. However, as a sporting breach rather than a technical matter, the penalties could be far less severe.
The Sporting Regulations delve into areas which are far less black-and-white and, as such, there is an array of punishments available to fit the spectrum of potential infringements.
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That could ultimately still lead to exclusion from the session, but could also see the team warned.
However, the fact Bearman’s car wasn’t covered in time could also suggest that the team is making set-up changes ahead of the race – which would attract a pit lane start.
A difficult session for Haas left Bearman 19th on the grid, one spot behind teammate Esteban Ocon and ahead only of Lance Stroll, who failed to record a timed lap.
“I had a really difficult feeling with this car,” Bearman said after his elimination from qualifying.
“Starting off in FP3 on the hard tyre we looked incredible. The feeling was also like, that was probably the best I felt in the car all year.
“Then we put the soft on, we don’t go any faster. So I think we’re misunderstanding something out there.”
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