Calls grow for permanent FIA stewards

Oliver Bearman says he is changing his approach on track as he edges closer to a race ban, while Carlos Sainz has hailed the FIA’s rare use of its right of review.

Haas rookie Bearman has accumulated ten penalty points on his super licence after a clash with Sainz at Monza, just two away from the automatic one-race suspension.

"That's in the back of my mind," the 20-year-old admitted in Baku. "I have to be careful in the next four races. If a scene like the one with Carlos happened again, I would be out."

He accepted responsibility for his tally but insisted some of the sanctions had been harsh. "I made a very dangerous mistake at Silverstone, I deserved those four points. The rest is debatable," Bearman said.

"In that split second, you're not thinking about the three pages of instructions we got in January."

The Briton backed calls for permanent FIA stewards. "Given the size, importance and money in this sport, consistency is very important," he said. "It would be very helpful to have the same referees every weekend."

Sainz, meanwhile, had his own two penalty points cancelled after Williams successfully appealed his Zandvoort sanction with new onboard evidence.

"For me, this is a breakthrough," the Spaniard said. "It shows the mechanism exists for a reason. This case was black and white."

He, too, urged structural change. "If I knew the referee was the same at every race, it would be easier to recognise the pattern," Sainz explained.

"Two permanent and one rotating would be enough. There's plenty of money in the sport to make it happen."