Oliver Bearman\u2019s frightening accident at Suzuka \u201ccan\u2019t be ignored\u201d, and Haas\u2019 boss Ayao Komatsu is confident solutions to F1\u2019s current issues can be resolved.<\/p>\n
The change in power unit regulations for F1 2026 has created new and unusual hurdles for the sport to figure out, with an alarming crash at Suzuka triggered by a closing speed delta that caught Oliver Bearman out.<\/p>\n
Bearman<\/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 ended up in the barriers halfway through last weekend\u2019s Japanese Grand Prix, when the British driver was caught out by his overspeed relative to Alpine\u2019s Franco Colapinto.<\/p>\n With Bearman\u2019s Ferrari power unit in energy deployment mode, he caught Colapinto with a 50km\/h speed advantage while approaching the Spoon corner. When Colapinto thought about a defence by moving across in what would have been a standard move under the old regulations, Bearman had to take avoiding action and lost control as he skated over the grass.<\/p>\n Bearman ended up hitting the barriers sideways with a 50G impact that left him limping away from the car. He was taken for precautionary checks in the Medical Centre, where he was cleared of injury.<\/p>\n Haas<\/a>\u2018 team principal Ayao Komatsu has previously urged against knee-jerk reactions to tweak the regulations too quickly, and has pushed for a measured approach towards refining the regulations amidst the cacophony of negativity from the drivers through the opening three race weekends.<\/p>\n After the Chinese Grand Prix, Komatsu suggested a sample size of five race weekends, across a variety of circuits, is needed to help better inform the teams, the FIA, and the power unit manufacturers [PUMs] on data that can be used to bring about further refinements.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure if you make those knee-jerk reactions, you can have unintended consequences, so that\u2019s exactly what we need to avoid now,\u201d Komatsu said after the weekend in Shanghai.<\/p>\n Following his driver\u2019s accident at Suzuka, Komatsu explained that his stance on taking a measured approach hasn\u2019t changed, but said it\u2019s clear safety matters must be paramount for when the F1 Commission and future meetings of the Power Unit Advisory Committee [PUAC] are held: meetings are currently scheduled during the \u2018Spring break\u2019 to be held on April 9th.<\/p>\n \u201cWe always said, like lots of things, even the starts as well, we said we have to see different conditions,\u201d Komatsu said, explaining that considerations of a sporting nature also have to be balanced.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then, for instance, adjustments to be made on the starts, at the Bahrain test 2, I think that was very judged. You know, still have the difference in PUMs, some people are good at the start, some people less so, etc.<\/p>\n \u201cBut, so far, it\u2019s been safe. So we really have to be careful about sporting versus safety. We shouldn\u2019t be using safety as an excuse, but, at the same time, safety should be obviously paramount.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve just got to be very careful looking at creating enough of a data set. We\u2019ve done three events. We had one incident, and then\u2026 I don\u2019t know what the solution is just yet, but we just have to be calm and discuss it all together at the F1 Commission.<\/p>\n \u201cWhich I\u2019m happy we\u2019re doing, every time we have a meeting with all the TPs, with the FIA and F1, nobody is really pushing for a sporting advantage.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I think, as an F1 community, I think we are discussing in the right manner. As an F1 community together, we\u2019ve got to look at this. You cannot ignore it.<\/p>\n \u201cI cannot say right now what the solution should be, but I\u2019m sure we\u2019ll be discussing it\u2026 We\u2019ve got a meeting on the 9th of April as well, with the PUMs and the PUAC members as well.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure we\u2019ll be discussing it at the team principal level as well. We\u2019ll all be working closely together to make sure that we improve the safety as well as the racing spectacle.<\/p>\n \u201cSafety should always be at the top of the list. We\u2019ve been talking about closing speed, and then this accident happened. Now that we have this one example, we\u2019ll be discussing the best way to go forward. For sure, nobody\u2019s going to ignore it.\u201d<\/p>\n More on Oliver Bearman\u2019s Suzuka crash<\/p>\n Oliver Bearman opens up on terrifying 50G Suzuka crash<\/a><\/p>\n F1 cannot ignore warning signs after Oliver Bearman crash exposes 2026 flaws<\/a><\/p>\n A major factor in the criticisms levelled at the new regulations has been the extreme change in driving dynamics that have been brought on by the new power units, which have shifted the ratio of the power output of the internal combustion relative to electrification to a near 50\/50 split.<\/p>\n This change means that the harvesting of energy for efficient deployment has become a top priority for laptime but, in order to harvest this energy, drivers have to prioritise lifting and coasting, as well as ponderous approaches to corners in order not to waste energy at less efficient moments.<\/p>\n It\u2019s particularly egregious during qualifying and, as a consequence, it led to the FIA reducing the amount of harvestable energy for that session at Suzuka, meaning the permitted 8mJ of energy could be harvested via more natural driving techniques.<\/p>\n But, with deployment of energy largely done via engine algorithms rather than being driver-controlled, Komatsu said he\u2019s eager to see any tweaks made place the initiative back with the drivers.<\/p>\n \u201cThe driver should be in charge of driving, right?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThen, for me, the systems should be like your tool set to be able to help you optimise your driving\/ laptime.<\/p>\n \u201cBut, at the moment, systems have so many constraints that drivers are driving to make the system function or optimise the system.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, it\u2019s the other way around. But [we\u2019ve] already taken a small step here for the qualifying by reducing the amount of energy you can recover.<\/p>\n \u201cSo that was one good step, but we already identified several areas. The small differences don\u2019t have to be a wholesale change that can improve some of the issues we saw in Melbourne and Shanghai; this is another example.<\/p>\n \u201cSo we\u2019re collectively learning so many things, but I\u2019m sure if we put those, let\u2019s say, relatively even minor improvements, I think you can drastically improve the show as well as the safety.<\/p>\n \u201cSitting here, I don\u2019t know exactly what mechanism we should use for that particular incident. But for instance, things that happened in Melbourne, Shanghai, at least in my eyes, there\u2019s a pretty clear solution we can take, which is not big.\u201d<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? 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