Why Oliver Bearman got a stop-and-go penalty in Qatar GP explained by the Ferrari junior himself. Qatar GP: Oliver Bearman breaks silence on controversial pit stop penalty.

However, something went wrong during the pit stop, and that mistake led the stewards to impose a stop-and-go penalty on him—meaning he had to remain stationary in the pit lane for ten seconds without the mechanics being allowed to touch the car. Once the allotted time expired, the driver was free to resume his race.

But what happened during the pit stop?

During his media session, which included ScuderiaFans.com, Ferrari junior Oliver Bearman detailed what really happened in the pit lane and explained the reason for the penalty. Ollie Bearman said that he had been given the green light even though the left-rear wheel was not yet fully secured.

When asked whether he considered the penalty too harsh, the Haas driver responded that he had moved forward by around one meter and that this was deemed dangerous. He added that it seemed quite obvious that the car would not have gone anywhere with only three properly fitted wheels. For that reason, he told the team over the radio that he had barely left the pit box when the penalty was issued. He also admitted that his race was already over after the pit stop, so the penalty ultimately did not change much.

There was also an inevitable question regarding the championship fight that will be decided next Sunday. With his victory in the Qatar Grand Prix, Max Verstappen moved to within twelve points of Lando Norris, overtaking Oscar Piastri, while the Australian now sits sixteen points behind the top of the standings. Ollie Bearman admitted that it will be interesting to watch and added that he wished he were the one fighting for the title.