The FIA has issued an urgent statement to address safety concerns of the new Formula 1 regulations following Oliver Bearman’s high-speed crash at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Concern over closing speed differentials in F1’s new technical regulations gathered pace on Sunday in Suzuka following a 50G horror crash involving Bearman and Franco Colapinto.
Heading into Spoon, the Briton was forced to take avoiding action, as he closed on the Alpine of Colapinto with a speed difference of 50kph.
Running wide, he hit the grass, spun, and hit the barriers, limping away from the wreckage, and was cleared by medical staff, suffering a contusion on his knee.
The FIA issued a statement after the race on the incident, and the next steps it plans to take ahead of the next round in Miami in May.
Full statement from the FIA
“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.”
What Motorsport Week thinks
The fact that the FIA chose to release a statement on Bearman’s crash is telling. The incident itself was an inevitability, with the writing on the wall in the opening two races that an incident was on the cards. Colapinto was, ironically, involved in the most notable incident, taking evasive action at lights out in Australia, this time, he was the block, though not of his own doing.
A closing speed difference of 50kph heading into Spoon is astonishing. A crash of that kind in F1 is, thankfully, rare these days, but these regulations threaten to make it mainstream. Bearman had two choices, hit the Alpine, or try to avoid the Argentinian. Colapinto was not abnormally slow, he was simply charging his battery. More of the same will follow without urgent changes.
With the FIA set to review the data in the enforced break between now and Miami, changes to energy management and deployment seem almost certain. The teams will play a major part in the analysis.
Created with the best intentions, these regulations simply do not work in their current form. The ball is now in the FIA’s court to fix them.
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