Dutch Grand Prix: FIA announce late demotion for F1 star

verstappen, bearman, haas, red bull — Photo: © IMAGO

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FIA announce late demotion for F1 star at Dutch Grand Prix

Haas star Ollie Bearman's Dutch Grand Prix has hit a new low

Dan Ripley Global Editor

Professional F1 journalist and analyst

Sunday 31 August 2025 12:35 Updated: 18:48

The Dutch Grand Prix has gone from bad to worse for one Formula 1 star after being hit with a demotion verdict by the FIA.

Ollie Bearman and Haas have been left scratching their heads in Zandvoort after an ultra competitive qualifying session saw them line up as the slowest cars with just over a second covering the entire grid in Q1.

While Lance Stroll is at the back of the grid in 20th the Canadian failed to set a lap in his Aston Martin, meaning Bearman in 19th and team-mate Esteban Ocon in 18th were the slowest cars on the track.

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Now with Bearman lining up on the back row, Haas have taken the opportunity to make a number of changes on the car that have F1 sporting regulations in terms of component usage.

FIA confirm Ollie Bearman pit-lane start

Haas have fitted a new power unit, turbocharger, a new motor generator unit-heat (MGU-H) and a new motor generator uit-kinetic (MGU-K) to Bearman's car. Only four of each are allowed to be used during a season and after these changes, Bearman is now using a fifth of each component.

In addition Bearman has also had a new control electronics component attached to his car which is his third of the season, with two only allowed during the 2025 campaign.

Ollie Bearman and Haas will start the Dutch Grand Prix from the pitlane

A new exhaust system is also attached having previously used five but this in conformity with the sporting regulations for the season which permit eight.

The changes to Bearman's car have been made without the approval of the FIA technical delegate and therefore have following a stewards' review he will now have to start the Dutch Grand Prix from the pitlane.

Bearman's Saturday woes compound his recent misery on track as he has now gone 10 grands prix without scoring a single point. A seventh place finish in the Belgian Grand Prix sprint has helped him pick up a couple of points during this time, and he has been unfortuante in recent races, finishing four of his last five grands prix in 11th place - just one place outside the points.

Should Haas fail to score any points in Zandvoort it will be the first time the team have not scored in four races this season as they linger one place off the bottom in the championship with 35 points, 15 ahead of Alpine and 10 behind the Racing Bulls.

F1 RESULTS: McLaren disaster hands shock podium to star at Dutch GP

F1 Ollie Bearman