Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix: A Shift in Rankings Due to an Unsafe Release

In a surprising turn of events at the Miami Grand Prix sprint race, Haas driver Oliver Bearman has lost his eighth-place finish following a five-second penalty for an unsafe release. This unfortunate incident paved the way for Yuki Tsunoda’s entry into the points.

The Unsafe Release Incident

During a series of tire changes in the second half of the sprint race, as the track dried enough for slicks, Bearman was released alongside Nico Hulkenberg, causing mechanics in the Williams garage to step out of the way. This action caused Hulkenberg to brake and take evasive action.

Initially, Bearman was classified in eighth place due to Max Verstappen’s 10-second penalty for his own unsafe release. However, the five-second penalty for Bearman has resulted in him losing the point and being demoted to 15th place, ahead of Hulkenberg’s Sauber teammate Gabriel Bortoleto.

The FIA stewards’ report stated, “Car 87 was released into the path of Car 27 which was arriving in the fast lane, causing Car 27 to brake and take evasive action.

Yuki Tsunoda’s Advancement

Bearman’s penalty has elevated Yuki Tsunoda into the top eight, ensuring Red Bull has at least scored a point in the Saturday race following Verstappen’s penalty. Tsunoda was the first driver to stop for slick tyres, having started from the pitlane due to traffic in qualifying and missing the opportunity to do a second SQ1 time amid a delay leaving the pits.

The pace of Tsunoda on the medium tyre demonstrated to the other teams that the race had been fast approaching the crossover point for slicks, prompting a series of stops to ditch the intermediate tyres.

Pending Investigations

The results of investigations over a safety car infringement for Alex Albon and Liam Lawson’s clash with Fernando Alonso are currently pending, which may change the distribution of points from the sprint further. Stay tuned for updates!

Join us for Sunday’s watch along on Race Center Live by signing up here. Photos from Miami GP – Sprint