The Haas F1 team has urged the FIA to investigate a contentious decision made at the Imola Grand Prix.
During qualifying, Ollie Bearman set a lap fast enough to propel him into P10 and, crucially, out of Q1, but the FIA removed the lap since it was set after a red flag was issued following Franco Colapinto’s crash.
However, Bearman and Haas have disputed this verdict, claiming that the lap was finished before the red flag was raised.
23.02.2023. Formula 1 Testing, Sakhir, Bahrain, Day One.
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The FIA delayed the start of Q2 to review the incident, but Bearman’s lap remained deleted despite the footage showing that the Brit had crossed the line before the red flag was indicated.
Haas call for transparency after the FIA’s Imola decision
As a result, Haas have asked the FIA to provide them with further explanation as to how the decision was made and for a strategy to be implemented for further incidents in the future.
“After discussions last night with the FIA, we have subsequently asked for further written clarification on the decision-making concerning Ollie Bearman’s final Q1 lap, in order for us to review more comprehensively,” Haas said in a team statement.
“We similarly asked what measures the FIA/race control can put in place moving forward to ensure that this situation is avoided in the future to the benefit of F1. Upon review we will be more informed to comment.”
The FIA rationalised their decision and stated that Bearman crossed the line at 16:32 and 20.9 seconds, with the red flag brought out at 16:32 and 17.6 seconds
An FIA spokesperson further confirmed that the red flag was not shown at the start-finish line, but the orange ‘abort lap’ lights were actually on the start-line gantry, which should have made the drivers aware about the stopped session.
“We get the red light on our dash. That for me didn’t happen until quite a way after I crossed the line,” Bearman said when asked about his perspective on the deleted lap after qualifying.
“The external video clearly showed that there was no red flag flashing when I passed the queue.
“So, I think it’s completely unfair to have [the lap] erased. I believe that once they make a decision, even if it is clearly erroneous, they are unlikely to reverse it. And it seems a little harsh.
