The American team returns from Brazil with 0 points, losing sixth place to Alpine.
Step back for Haas this weekend: after two very positive rounds, the American team fails to score points in the São Paulo Grand Prix, marked by twists from Friday onwards. The weekend began with a surprise announcement from Haas, stating that Kevin Magnussen would be unavailable due to illness, initially just for Friday and then for the entire event, with future 2025 driver Ollie Bearman stepping in as his replacement.
After a very positive Friday, with the young English driver from the 2005 class managing to reach Q3, the weekend became more challenging starting with the Sprint Race. Hulkenberg retired due to an exhaust issue, and Bearman finished in fourteenth place. Sunday morning then saw the “real” qualifying session, which was marked by rain: it was the English driver’s first Formula 1 session in wet conditions, and like his teammate, he was eliminated in Q1.
Black flag for Hulkenberg: here’s why!
During the race, amid numerous unusual events, Nico Hulkenberg received a black flag disqualification, announced under a red flag period following Franco Colapinto’s accident. This marked the first time since the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix that the stewards issued a black flag to a driver, when Giancarlo Fisichella and Felipe Massa were disqualified for exiting the pit lane under a red light. But what led to this exemplary penalty, the harshest that can be applied to a driver?
On lap 25, Nico Hulkenberg made his first pit stop of the race, switching to a new set of intermediate tires. However, two laps later, likely due to the low temperature of the tires, the German driver spun at Turn 1, coming to a stop in a very bumpy area, with the front wheels no longer touching the asphalt.
Thus, the Virtual Safety Car was deployed. However, the German driver, instead of getting out of the car, requested assistance from the marshals; after they touched his Haas, Hulkenberg managed to restart it, returning to the track and resuming the race.
However, this action is prohibited by the regulations: a driver cannot continue the race after the marshals have touched their car. In particular, this rule was introduced to prevent what happened at the 2007 Nürburgring Grand Prix, when Lewis Hamilton, who went off track at Turn 1, was able to continue the race by utilizing the assistance of a crane that lifted his McLaren out of the gravel where it had become stuck.
Here’s an image of the marshals pushing Nico Hulkenberg’s Haas.
A dark day for Haas: the statements from both drivers.
At the end of the race, Hulkenberg explained what happened during the hectic lap 27: “Unfortunately, I needed help from the marshals as I was beached, which was really unfortunate after a low-speed spin. It was my mistake but it was quite unlucky to be beached like that, normally you spin but can continue after, so a small mistake with a huge consequence there. It’s been a very tough and disappointing weekend.”
On the other hand, Bearman’s race was quite tumultuous: Ollie was involved in a lot of battles, including a duel with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. In this generational clash, the 2005-born driver emerged victorious with a great overtake at the inside of Descida Do Lago.
In contrast to these battles were the numerous mistakes: for instance, he rear-ended Franco Colapinto during the fourth lap, which also resulted in a 10-second penalty, and he spun at the Ferradura corner while chasing Carlos Sainz.
Nevertheless, the English driver was quite satisfied with his first weekend racing in wet conditions in Formula 1: “It was a tough race and there were too many mistakes from my side. On one hand, we finished P12 – close to the points – despite the mistakes I made, but on the other hand there were too many mistakes and lost time. It was a really tough day, and I learned a lot for sure. I’ll take the positives that I’ve learned the track, something I wasn’t going to be doing before next year, and of course racing in these conditions, it’s rare, so that was really valuable.”
Ollie Bearman spinning at the Ferradura corner while chasing Carlos Sainz.
Haas thus leaves Brazil without any points and with the sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship to reclaim, due to the double podium achieved by Alpine, which brought the Enstone team a haul of 33 points.
PHOTO: Ollie Bearman, F1, MoneyGram Haas F1 Team.