FIA announce meeting over controversial F1 regulations following terrifying crash

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FIA announce meeting over controversial F1 regulations following terrifying crash

Haas' Ollie Bearman limped away from the crash in Japan

Chris Deeley Editor

Experienced sports writer covering F1 and other motorsports since 2023

Sunday 29 March 2026 12:13

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The FIA have released a statement regarding Ollie Bearman's terrifying crash at the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday.

The Haas driver was travelling at some 300km/h at the time of the incident, following Franco Colapinto's Alpine ahead of him. That wouldn't have been an issue in any other year of the sport, as Colapinto would have been doing a similar speed. However, as a result of the new power unit regulations, the Alpine was harvesting energy coming up to the corner, reducing his speed.

That meant that Bearman, not harvesting, was suddenly going (what Colapinto later estimated to be) 50km/h faster than the Alpine into Spoon corner, and had to take emergency avoiding action onto the grass.

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The young driver was a passenger from that point onward, as his car shot across the grass, over the corner and straight into the tyre wall, producing an impact force of around 50G. Fortunately, despite some bumps and bruising, X-rays revealed no breaks, and Bearman was released from the medical centre.

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Sainz: We warned this would happen

Grand Prix Drivers' Association director Carlos Sainz appeared furiously frustrated when talking about the incident after the race, claiming that the drivers had been warning F1 and the FIA about exactly this sort of dangerous incident.

"Here we were lucky there was an escape road," he said. "Now imagine going to Baku or going to Singapore or going to Vegas and having this kind of closing speeds and crashes next to the walls. We, as the GPDA, we've warned the FIA these accidents are going to happen a lot with this set of regulations, and we need to change something soon if we don't want them to happen.

"It was 50G I heard, which is higher than my crash in Russia in 2015, I was 46G. Just imagine what kind of crash you could have in Vegas, Baku, etc. I hope it serves as an example and the [FIA and FOM] listen to the drivers and not so much to the teams and people that said the racing was OK, because the racing is not OK."

FIA statement on Bearman incident

The FIA statement read: "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."

F1 FIA Japanese Grand Prix Ollie Bearman