Oliver Bearman hit with pitlane start after Haas change

Ollie Bearman will start the season-opening Australian Grand Prix from the pitlane following changes made to his Haas.

So far, Bearman has had a wretched weekend, which was kicked off by a crash in the opening practice session. This crash necessitated a new engine and gearbox and forced him out of FP2.

The 19-year-old was first out of the pitlane at the start of FP3 in a bid to make up for lost time, but on his first push lap, he spun and beached his car in the gravel, resulting in him missing the remainder of the session.

It meant Bearman headed into his first qualifying session this year with just 13-and-a-half laps under his belt, but an additional gearbox-related issue meant he did not take part.

With the Briton set to start from the back of the grid, Haas has opted to make set-up changes to the car. As those changes have taken place out of parc fermé, Bearman must start from the pitlane.

An FIA statement read: "Changes have been made to the set-up of the suspension of car number 87.

"Therefore car number 87 should now be required to start the race from the pit lane according to Article 40.9 a) of the 2025 Formula One Sporting Regulations."