Oliver Bearman has received a five-second penalty after the FIA stewards investigated an incident also involving Charles Leclerc at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

The stewards deemed Haas guilty of an unsafe release of its driver into Leclerc’s path, forcing the Ferrari to take evasive action as it was squeezed towards the pit wall.

Oliver Bearman penalised after Charles Leclerc incident

The weather played its part once more on Sunday at Interlagos. Not content with the dramatic and thrilling qualifying, the rain once again created a changeable scene for drivers to navigate during the race.

After the circuit had dried following pre-race rain, precipitation returned and intensified in the closing laps, triggering a return to intermediate tyres.

Amid that flurry of action in pit-lane, Haas accidentally released Bearman into the path of Leclerc’s Ferrari.

That sparked an investigation, as the FIA stewards sent a five-second penalty the way of Bearman.

This verdict does not change Bearman’s final finishing position of 17th.

The Brit was not alone in being punished for an unsafe release in Brazil. Incoming world champion Kimi Antonelli received the same sanction having been released into the path of Franco Colapinto’s Alpine. His classified result also remained unchanged.

The explanation of the Bearman verdict reads: “The stewards heard from the driver of Car 87 (Oliver Bearman), the driver of Car 16 (Charles Leclerc), team representatives and reviewed positioning/marshalling system data, video, and in-car video evidence.

“BEA was released from its pit stop into the path of LEC, which was already proceeding along the pit lane. As a result, LEC was forced to brake and take evasive action, being squeezed towards the pit wall on the right-hand side.

“The stewards determined that BEA was released in an unsafe manner and therefore imposed a five-second time penalty.”

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Leclerc found himself rather busy with the FIA stewards following the Brazilian Grand Prix.

In addition to this incident with Bearman, a Ferrari junior, Leclerc was also summoned over a clash with Liam Lawson’s Racing Bulls later in the race.

Leclerc received a five-second penalty of his own for causing that slight collision.

The Monegasque, on the inside line into Juncao, rubbed wheels with his Racing Bulls rival as they exited the uphill left-hander.

It was enough to unsettle Lawson, with the Ferrari driver taking the place as they navigated the Senna S at the end of the long front straight.

“Rubbing is racing” was the verdict from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in the post-race cooldown room, but the FIA stewards wanted to take a closer look at that incident. The decision was five seconds added to Leclerc’s race time.

That result would actually swap the drivers around in the final 2026 Brazilian Grand Prix classification, Lawson elevated to seventh and Leclerc dropping a place to eigthth.

Ferrari saw its mathematical hopes of winning the Constructors’ title come to an end in Sao Paulo, as Mercedes wrapped-up its first teams’ crown since 2021.