The FIA has clarified the circumstances of a bizarre qualifying lap deletion for Haas’ Oliver Bearman.

The British driver put in a 1:16.077 in Q1 to make it through into the second part of qualifying at Imola, only for his laptime to be deleted moments later – leaving Bearman sidelined for the rest of the session and down in 19th place.

Why did the FIA delete Oliver Bearman’s best time?

Usually, lap time deletions point to a transgression regarding track limits, but TV replays didn’t offer any clear indication that Bearman had done so. Nor did the official timing systems indicate a message to suggest the Haas driver had fallen foul of the rules regarding track limits.

What eventually transpired was that Bearman had had his lap time deleted as the red flags for Franco Colapinto’s crash were shown – but this was not evident to Bearman as he didn’t spot any red flag or panels until well after he had completed his lap.

Bearman hit out at the decision after stepping out of the car, saying, “I mean, we get the red lights on our dash. That, for me, didn’t happen until quite a way after I crossed the line.

“Watching the onboard video, it was clear that there was no red flag displayed when I crossed the line.

“So I believe it’s totally unfair to have it deleted. I feel like, once they make a decision – even if it’s wrong, clearly wrong – they’re not going to turn back on it. And that seems a bit harsh.”

But the FIA has now clarified the timing of the red flag being shown, explaining that red flag conditions had kicked in just over three seconds before Bearman completed his lap – meaning his time would not stand.

“In relation to the Oliver Bearman situation in Q1, the red flag was set at 16:32.17.6 seconds,” a statement provided to media, including PlanetF1.com, read.

“Bearman crossed the line at 16:32.20.9 seconds (3.2 seconds later) with the abort signal / red flag showing on the start gantry.

“Qualifying 2 was delayed to enable the Stewards to consult the relevant timing experts and examine the underlining data to satisfy themselves that the timing system data was valid and it was, therefore, right to proceed.

“The overriding objective was to determine whether or not Bearman had completed the lap before or after the red flag and whether the lap should be disallowed, to ensure the right drivers progressed to Qualifying 2.”

While Haas “vigorously disputed” the decision, a discussion with the stewards following qualifying – complete with their evidence of the timing – did not result in any change of decision.

Despite labelling the decision as harsh, Bearman denied being frustrated by the outcome, “Honestly, I was quite sure about what would happen, because I know how these people work, in a way.

“And it’s a shame. It’s a shame because I was quite sure that the second my lap was deleted, there was no way I was coming back.”

Bearman also said an explanation had not been offered at the time of his dropping out of the session, revealing that Haas had been just as “perplexed” about the situation as he had.

“I would like now to fully understand what happened with the team and the FIA,” he said.

“Because it’s one thing being kicked out, but it’s another thing being kicked out with no explanation, which is the case at the moment.”

With the upgrades introduced to the Haas VF-25 appearing to be a step forward for the Banbury-based squad, Bearman said it’s ruined his chances of being able to reward his team’s hard work when the race rolls around on Sunday.

“Unfortunately, we are last now. It’s things like that,” he said.

“We work and we invest so much. We have a new package this weekend, and this has been months and months in the pipeline.

“It’s the only chance we have to show it. I put a lap that’s representative and really get the most out of the car, and that’s what we have to show for it. It’s a big shame.”

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