After a turbulent first Formula 1 practice session in Mexico, Albon and Bearman are acquitted while Schwarzman is punished
In the first free practice session for the Mexican Grand Prix, there was an incident in Turn 9 between Alexander Albon (Williams) and Oliver Bearman (Ferrari). Albon was on a flying lap when he encountered Bearman, who was on a cool-down lap. The stewards examined the scene closely but decided that “no further action” was needed.
“Bearman was on a cool-down lap and his team had informed him of cars behind him,” the stewards explained after hearing from both drivers and conducting a full analysis of video footage, telemetry and team radio. As Bearman ‘moved slightly to the right just after Turn 9’, Albon hit the Ferrari and had to ‘slightly lift off the throttle due to the high load in the corner’, causing him to oversteer.
Albon and Bearman agreed that Bearman’s position on the track “wasn’t unreasonable, but it was unfortunate”. According to the stewards, the incident could have been avoided if Bearman had “released the throttle a little later on track”. However, as there was no clear mispositioning, it remained a “pure racing incident”.
Schwarzman does it like Button in 2017
The situation is different for Robert Schwarzman. The Ferrari junior in the Sauber overtook Yuki Tsunoda even though the yellow flags were waved after the incident in turn nine. The Sauber passed “a single waved and a double waved yellow flag” before executing the overtaking maneuver – a clear violation of the rules.
Curious: As a consequence, the stewards decided to move back five places on the grid. Since Schwarzman is not a regular driver, this applies “to the next race in which [Schwarzman] participates. The penalty is the usual penalty for overtaking under a double yellow phase,” the stewards clarify, emphasizing that the penalty remains despite Schwarzman’s likely absence from the Mexican Grand Prix.
It is a situation reminiscent of Jenson Button’s in 2017, when he stood in for Fernando Alonso at the Monaco Grand Prix. While the Spaniard was competing in the Indianapolis 500, Button came out of retirement to support Stoffel Vandoorne for the team from Woking. During the race, he crashed into Pascal Wehrlein in the Portier corner.
The race stewards subsequently penalized the Briton with three places on the starting grid, but unlike Schwarzman, the report on the incident stated that the penalty would apply to “the next race in which he participates this season”, while Schwarzman’s penalty was broader.