Haas Driver’s Massive Crash at Japanese Grand Prix Exposes Flaws in 2026 Regulations
Oliver Bearman’s sophomore season at Haas was off to an excellent start. When he arrived in Japan for round three of the 2026 calendar, the 20-year-old found himself fifth in the driver's standings. His seventh and fifth place finishes in Australia and China, respectively, left him with 17 points, more than World Champions Lando Norris and Max Verstappen. However, Bearman’s fortunes took a turn at Suzuka. A poor qualifying performance left him competing for 17th place with Alpine’s Franco Colapinto. On lap 22, what initially looked like a clumsy overtake attempt saw Bearman fly into the barriers with a massive impact, an outcome many attribute to the 2026 regulations.
The incident occurred at the entrance to turn 13, known as Spoon, while Bearman’s Haas was going 190mph. The Brit tried to go around the outside of Colapinto, but was thrown off by the Argentine’s defense, leading to a 50g impact with the wall. Colapinto was energy harvesting, so there was a 30mph difference in speed between the two drivers. For reference, the FIA claimed the now-defunct DRS would provide a six mph advantage. It also would not be active around a high-speed corner for reasons learned the hard way by Colapinto’s predecessor, Jack Doohan, at Suzuka last season. The dangerous incident, accentuated by the sight of Bearman limping away from the scene, was not unpredictable.
Drivers and team principals alike have been sounding the alarm on the dangers of massive speed deltas on a race track caused by energy harvesting. The practice sessions in Australia featured a few scary moments, such as Lewis Hamilton’s close call with Colapinto on the main pit straight. McLaren boss Andrea Stella has expressed concerns about huge speed differences off the starting line, but his objections were initially dismissed by many as an attempt to neutralize Ferrari’s race start advantage. Max Verstappen weighed in on Bearman’s crash by comparing the unexpected large speed differences to a Mario Kart item. The Dutchman, disillusioned with the current regulations, previously joked that he practices for races by playing the popular Nintendo series. Verstappen has been clear about his feelings regarding the era of 50-50 power split engines, but believes nothing will change unless the focus of the argument is safety. Williams’ Carlos Sainz sounded off similarly after the incident, saying that the FIA ignored drivers' concerns because the regulations were providing for visually exciting racing. The FIA has stated that meetings will be held in April to address these concerns. A possible silver lining to the unexpected F1 spring break could be improved driver safety for future races.
