Haas’ Ollie Bearman reacts to 50G crash during 2026 Japanese Grand Prix

The incident occurred when Bearman had to take avoiding action after closing on Colapinto at speed, with the Argentine driver moving towards the middle of the track and narrowing the space. The stewards noted the incident before deeming no further action was necessary, but Bearman gave his take on how it had all played out.

“It was a massive overspeed, 50kph which is a part of these news regulations that I guess we have to get used to,” he said. “But also I felt like I wasn’t really given much space given the huge excess speed that I was carrying.

“It’s something that we talked about on Friday with the other drivers and the stewards that we need to be a bit more lenient, a bit more prepared because of these huge deltas in speed.

“I think as a group we warned the FIA what can happen and this has been a really unfortunate result of a massive delta speed we’ve not seen before in F1 until these new regulations.”

FIA issue statement following Bearman’s crash

After the conclusion of the Grand Prix in Suzuka, the FIA issued the statement below regarding Bearman’s collision.

An FIA spokesperson said: “Following the accident involving Oliver Bearman at the Japanese Grand Prix and the contribution of high closing speeds in the accident, the FIA would like to provide the following clarifications.

“Since their introduction, the 2026 regulations have been the subject of ongoing discussions between the FIA, Teams, Power Unit Manufacturers, Drivers and FOM. By design, these regulations include a number of adjustable parameters, particularly in relation to energy management, which allow for optimisation based on real-world data.

“It has been the consistent position of all stakeholders that a structured review would take place after the opening phase of the season, to allow for sufficient data to be gathered and analysed. A number of meetings are therefore scheduled in April to assess the operation of the new regulations and to determine whether any refinements are required.

“Any potential adjustments, particularly those related to energy management, require careful simulation and detailed analysis. The FIA will continue to work in close and constructive collaboration with all stakeholders to ensure the best possible outcome for the sport and safety will always remain a core element of the FIA’s mission. At this stage, any speculation regarding the nature of potential changes would be premature. Further updates will be communicated in due course.”