Ollie Bearman hints new F1 regulations to blame for 'scary' 300kph crash at Japanese Grand Prix

Ollie Berman looks concerned in a Haas race suit — Photo: © IMAGO

Japanese Grand Prix

Ollie Bearman hints new F1 regulations to blame for 'scary' 300kph crash at Japanese Grand Prix

The new regulations are causing quite a stir

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Sunday 29 March 2026 19:20

Haas F1 driver Oliver Bearman has issued an update on his condition following a huge crash at the Japanese Grand Prix, while also hinting that the new F1 rules could have been to blame for the crash.

Bearman suffered a huge shunt on lap 22 of the race at the Suzuka International Circuit, getting onto the grass and crashing out at the Spoon Curve.

The impact of the crash was recorded as 50G, and thankfully he was able to walk away from the incident, albeit with a limp. Haas later said that he had been sent for x-rays and that he had not suffered any fractures from the impact and that he had been cleared from the medical centre.

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Now, Bearman has updated his fans himself, with the young Brit also hinting that the changes in the F1 rules for 2026 could have been the reason for his crash.

Bearman appeared to be caught out by the closing speed of his Haas in relation to Franco Colapinto's Alpine, which was harvesting energy heading into the Spoon Curve.

Bearman reacted to avoid slamming into the back of Colapinto, but got onto the grass, sending him into a spin.

"First of all, everything is fine and I’m good," he said in quotes released by Haas. "It was a scary moment out there, but everything is okay, which is the main thing.

"The adrenaline is wearing off a bit, so it’s going to be a long trip home, but I’m absolutely fine. The car is a bit worse for wear, but we now have a month to reset, but I can only apologise to the team because it’s a lot of work.

"There was a massive overspeed - around 50kph - which is a part of these new regulations, and we have to get used to it, 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, as unfortunately this was the result of a massive delta speed which we’ve not seen in Formula 1 before. We have a month to reset and come back strong in Miami - that’s the goal now."

Bearman's fast 2026 start

Heading into the Japanese GP weekend, Bearman was up in fifth in the drivers' championship, ahead of both McLarens, including 2025 world champion Lando Norris.

But he struggled at the Suzuka International Circuit all weekend long, suffering a shock Q1 exit in qualifying and starting down in 18th.

It was confirmed that Bearman was cleared by the medical centre later on, but the FIA gave him special dispensation to skip his post-race media duties, and this interview came later on through a Haas press release.

Whatever knock Bearman may have picked up in the crash, the young Brit will now have five weeks to recover, with a long break being caused by the cancellation of the two April grands prix in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain because of the conflict in the Middle East.

He later issued a video update via social media in which he congratulated Esteban Ocon for his point for the team in Japan while also apologising to the team once more.