Ollie Bearman<\/a>\u2019s thunderous crash on lap 22<\/a> at Suzuka was, to put it in simplistic F1<\/a> colloquialisms, a \u201cbig one.\u201d An impact with the tyre barrier measured at 50G \u2013 similar to Max Verstappen\u2019s 2021 shunt<\/a> at Silverstone \u2013 saw the 20-year-old limp away from his cockpit with the assistance of trackside marshals. When his car skated off track, his Haas<\/a> VF-26 was doing an enormous 191mph.<\/p>\n Read more<\/p>\n Kieran Jackson29 March 2026 11:29<\/p>\n <\/a>Bearman speaks out<\/p>\n In a set of quotes provided by Haas, Bearman has revealed he is \u201cfine\u201d after his crash. <\/p>\n \u201cFirst of all, everything is fine and I\u2019m good,\u201d said Bearman. \u201cIt was a scary moment out there but everything is okay, which is the main thing.<\/p>\n \u201cThe adrenaline is wearing off a bit so it\u2019s going to be a long trip home, but I\u2019m absolutely fine.<\/p>\n \u201cThe car is a bit worse for wear. I can only apologise to the team because it\u2019s a lot of work.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was a massive overspeed \u2013 around 50kph \u2013 which is a part of these new regulations and we have to get used to it, but also I felt like I wasn\u2019t given much space, given the huge excess speed I was carrying. <\/p>\n \u201cWe 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\u2019ve not seen in Formula One before.\u201d<\/p>\n Kieran Jackson29 March 2026 13:30<\/p>\n <\/a>Haas team boss Ayao Komatsu reacts:<\/p>\n Asked if his British driver had a lucky escape, Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu said: \u201cYes. It could have been a lot worse. I am just glad he did not break anything.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have been talking about closing speeds, and this accident has now happened so we cannot ignore it. Safety should always be top of the list.\u201d<\/p>\n Kieran Jackson29 March 2026 12:46<\/p>\n <\/a>RACE REPORT: Russell rues bad luck as Antonelli claims second F1 win at Japanese GP<\/p>\n The Italian teenager, who landed his debut win in China a fortnight ago, took the chequered flag 13.7 seconds clear of McLaren\u2019s Oscar Piastri, while Charles Leclerc<\/a> kept Russell at bay to finish third.<\/p>\n Kieran Jackson29 March 2026 11:00<\/p>\n <\/a>FIA STATEMENT: <\/p>\n \u201cFollowing 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.<\/p>\n \u201cSince 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.<\/p>\n \u201cIt 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.<\/p>\n \u201cAny 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\u2019s mission. At this stage, any speculation regarding the nature of potential changes would be premature. Further updates will be communicated in due course.\u201d<\/p>\n Kieran Jackson29 March 2026 10:25<\/p>\n <\/a>Fernando Alonso, speaking before the Japanese GP: <\/p>\n \u201dOvertaking these days is accidental,\u201d Alonso said about the new regulations<\/p>\n \u201cSuddenly you find yourself with a higher battery than the car in front and you either crash into them or you overtake them. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an evasive manoeuvre, not an overtake.\u201d<\/p>\n Kieran Jackson29 March 2026 10:03<\/p>\n <\/a>Max Verstappen, after finishing P8: <\/p>\n Any improvement? \u201cI don\u2019t think it was very good, yesterday was a disaster, today I just maximised my race. The car…. just trying to hang to it in the race. <\/p>\n On meeting with F1: \u201cWe\u2019ll do some more racing, some stuff that makes me smile, speak to the team and try and find more pace, a more stable balance, but this is not sustainable for us as a team We need to bring improvements.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can have a bad balance, that doesn\u2019t take away from how we have to race, I\u2019ve commented on that a few times, a lot of drivers are speaking out on it. <\/p>\n \u201cThat is the biggest one. I would like to win, but i can accept P7. It\u2019s the way I\u2019m driving with the systems and everything, is not a lot of fun.\u201d <\/p>\n Kieran Jackson29 March 2026 09:25<\/p>\n <\/a>Carlos Sainz on Bearman’s crash: <\/p>\n Some very interesting comments from Carlos Sainz on Bearman\u2019s crash and the regulations: <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m excited to see what FOM [Formula One Management] and FIA come up with for the new regulations, hope they come back better for Miami. <\/p>\n \u201cWith the accident with Ollie, we\u2019ve been warning them with these closing speeds that this was going to happen. Hopefully, we come up with a better solution with these massive closing speeds and a better way of racing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was so surprised when they said we will sort out qualifying and leave racing alone because it\u2019s exciting. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been very vocal, we\u2019ve been warning that this kind of accident was going to happen. Here, we\u2019re lucky there was an escape road – imagine Baku or Vegas. We\u2019ve warned the FIA that these accidents will happen a lot with these regulations, 50G is higher than my crash in Russia in 2016, 46G. <\/p>\n \u201cI hope it serves as one example, if they listen to teams and drivers… the racing is clearly not OK.\u201d<\/p>\n Kieran Jackson29 March 2026 08:53<\/p>\n![\"Oliver](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/29-4e108cafee5d44ae840f1a7140a2aa66.jpg\")
Oliver Bearman suffered a \u2018scary\u2019 crash in Japan (Eugene Hoshiko\/AP) (AP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GettyImages-2261210993.jpg\")
(Getty)<\/p>\n![\"Fernando](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/SEI288400419.jpeg\")
Fernando Alonso (Getty)<\/p>\n![\"Max](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/F1-JAP\u00d3N-VERSTAPPEN_455_8.jpg\")
Max Verstappen (AP)<\/p>\n