The FIA has issued a statement following today’s incident involving Oliver Bearman and Franco Colapinto.
It reads:
“Following the accident involving Oliver Bearman at the Japanese GP 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.”
Even before the season got underway, the majority of the discussion over the 2026 regulations has concerned energy harvesting and how it affects the racing, in terms of the yo-yoing effect as drivers pass and repass one another.
However, concerns were also raised relating to closing speeds, the vast difference between one car slowing to harvest energy while a car behind is travelling much faster. Today’s incident involving Bearman was such an incident, as the Haas driver suddenly found himself confronted with the much slower Alpine. Indeed, the difference in speed was measured at 50km/h, though at other parts of the track it would have been much higher.
Ironically, the Argentine driver was involved in an incident at the season opener, doing well to avoid Liam Lawson as he struggled to get off the grid at the start.
Thankfully, Bearman was able to walk away from today’s crash, but the fact is that the sport has been riding its luck, and the statement from the FIA appears to acknowledge this.
“It was a scary moment,” said Bearman of the incident, “but everything is okay, which is the main thing.
“There was a massive overspeed – around 50kph – which is a part of these new regulations, and we have to get used to it,” he added, “but also I felt like I wasn’t given much space, given the huge excess speed I was carrying.
“We need to be a bit more lenient and a bit more prepared,” he warned, “as unfortunately this was the result of a massive delta speed which we’ve not seen in Formula 1 before.”
“I was racing him for a few laps and suddenly saw him slide in front of me across the grass into Spoon,” said Colapinto. “Having viewed the footage afterwards, there was a big speed difference, which can be a characteristic of these cars, and I’m really glad he’s ok.”