FIA's response to 'contribution of closing speeds' in Bearman crash
The FIA has acknowledged the “contribution of high closing speeds” between cars in Ollie Bearman’s Japanese Grand Prix crash but warned speculation regarding potential changes to assist with this would be “premature”.
Bearman suffered a 50G impact with the barriers at Spoon in the opening stint of the Suzuka race after a 35km/h speed different behind Franco Colapinto on the approach to the corner caught him out.
The Haas driver jinked left in avoidance, lost control over the grass and bruised his knee in the ensuing accident.
It sparked concerned comments from various drivers who had previously warned that the varying battery levels and electric power deployment states of the cars in the 2026 rules increased the possibility of a big crash due to high closing speeds.
The FIA has acknowledged this played a part in the shunt but issued a statement to provide “clarifications”.
Discussions about the rules have been ongoing for weeks now between the FIA, F1 itself, the teams, manufacturers and drivers about how to improve problem areas within the rules.
The FIA says there are “a number of adjustable parameters, particularly in relation to energy management, which allow for optimisation based on real-world data” with a review planned early in the season to discuss how to act on this.
A meeting first planned for after round two in China will now take place on April 9 - the FIA says “a number of meetings” are scheduled “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 said.
“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.”
Colapinto said he was a “sitting duck” in the incident and called for a review of the closing speeds in the new cars.
One of the earliest proponents for changes on safety grounds was McLaren’s Andrea Stella, who raised the issue of closing speeds in pre-season testing.
On Sunday in Japan he said: “It's not a surprise. We said that already in testing. It is in the agenda of the FIA in terms of the aspects of this 2026 regulations that should be improved.
“We don't want to wait for things to happen to put actions in place so something happened.
“Oliver, luckily, it seemed like he got out of it with just some bruises, but nothing too major.
“We have a responsibility to put in place the actions that, especially from a safety point of view should be implemented.”
