Bearman jumps to defend Verstappen over 'harsh' FIA penalty points amid looming race ban

Oliver Bearman agrees with Max Verstappen that the penalty points system doesn’t make sense. The British driver supports Verstappen’s view and also cites Kevin Magnussen as an example in the ongoing debate.

Max Verstappen currently has eleven penalty points and faces a suspension if he receives just one more. While Verstappen isn’t overly worried, he feels the sport is becoming too complicated and that the punishment is too harsh for the offences committed. Oliver Bearman shares this view.

‘’I agree,’’ Bearman stated in the presence of GPblog and others. "I think it's a little bit harsh to see drivers getting race bans for trying to create action. I think we saw Kevin last year get a race ban, although it obviously helped me. I felt like he was really hard done by to have had that race ban for all of these tiny infractions."

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Bearman believes F1 needs a 'balance'

Bearman certainly can’t complain about his 2024 season so far. The British driver made his second Formula 1 Grand Prix appearance in Azerbaijan, stepping in for the suspended Kevin Magnussen. Earlier in the year, Bearman had substituted for Carlos Sainz at Ferrari, and he would later fill in for Magnussen again in Brazil.

20-year-old Oliver Bearman has scored six points so far this season

Even though Bearman benefited at the time, he found it unfair to the Dane. "He tries an overtake and it doesn't work. They both cut the corner, it's no harm, no foul, everyone keeps going.

"No dangerous manoeuvres, no damage and two penalty points, and those add up quickly, so it's a shame.

"Of course, drivers need to be punished in some way to stop them from doing some things. But yeah, I think the balance needs to be there," concluded the Haas driver.

Williams driver Alex Albon was also critical of the FIA on media day. Click this link to find out why.

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