McLaren driver Oscar Piastri says the FIA should consider changes to the F1 2026 rules on safety grounds following Oliver Bearman\u2019s crash at the Japanese Grand Prix.<\/p>\n
It comes after the Australian had \u201ca pretty close call\u201d of his own at Suzuka having been hit with a warning for an incident with Audi driver Nico Hulkenberg in FP3.<\/p>\n
Oscar Piastri explains \u2018pretty close call\u2019 after FIA warning<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust<\/p>\n Bearman was seen limping away from the wreckage of his Haas in Japan after crashing at Spoon Curve, having taken to the grass and lost control while closing in rapidly on Franco Colapinto\u2019s Alpine.<\/p>\n In a statement issued after the race, the FIA acknowledged that the significantly increased closing speeds of the F1 2026 cars \u2013 which see some deploying energy while others are harvesting \u2013 was a contributing factor in Bearman\u2019s accident.<\/p>\n F1\u2019s governing body went on to confirm that \u201ca number of meetings\u201d are scheduled to take place this month with a view to refining the new rules.<\/p>\n Analysis: Japanese Grand Prix<\/p>\n Japanese GP conclusions: Dodgeball on wheels, Verstappen\u2019s rampage, Russell\u2019s Norris test<\/a><\/p>\n Kimi Antonelli leads winners and losers as Japanese Grand Prix shifts momentum<\/a><\/p>\n Piastri, who finished second in Japan, also found himself caught out by the significant closing speeds in final practice.<\/p>\n The McLaren driver was given an official warning by the FIA having been found to have impeded Hulkenberg while weaving across the circuit on the approach to 130R.<\/p>\n Piastri has admitted that Hulkenberg\u2019s Audi caught him \u201cthree times\u201d quicker than he expected on the straight.<\/p>\n And he believes the FIA should act \u201cpretty quickly\u201d to ensure a repeat of Bearman\u2019s accident at Suzuka does not happen.<\/p>\n Asked how crucial it is that changes are made ahead of the next race in Miami, Piastri said: \u201cWe\u2019ve spoken about that [a Bearman-type accident] being a possibility since these cars were conceptualised.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s what we\u2019re stuck with, with the power units. There\u2019s no easy way of getting around it.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom what I saw there was no flashing light from Colapinto, so I don\u2019t even think he was super clipping either, which is obviously a bit of a concern.<\/p>\n \u201cI had a pretty close call in free practice with Nico because he caught me about three times as quick as I expected on the straight and we were both at full throttle.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I think there\u2019s clearly an element of learning for us as drivers and, where the accident happened, it\u2019s not a place where you expect someone to come from so far behind and have such a big speed difference.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd whilst we\u2019re learning that, unfortunately things like this are probably going to happen, which is a shame.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I think we understand as a sport there\u2019s a lot of things we need to tweak, a lot of things we need to change.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd especially on safety grounds, yes, there\u2019s some things that need to be looked into pretty quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n Piastri\u2019s comments come after Red Bull driver and four-time world champion Max Verstappen claimed incidents like Bearman\u2019s are inevitable with the current cars<\/a>.<\/p>\n Verstappen said: \u201cIt\u2019s what you get with these things.<\/p>\n \u201cOne guy is completely stuck with no power, basically, and then the other one uses the mushroom mode.<\/p>\n \u201cIt can be 50-60 kilometres difference. Really big.\u201d<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n