Formula 1 had a moment of great concern at the 2026 Japanese GP with Oliver Bearman’s accident in Suzuka. The Haas driver crashed hard at the Spoon curve and had to be taken to the medical center after exiting the car with difficulty.
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Despite the violence of the impact, the Briton escaped a more serious injury. Exams performed after the accident ruled out a fracture, but confirmed a bruise on his right knee after a 50G deceleration.
The incident happened when Bearman was attempting an overtake on Franco Colapinto. The Alpine driver was apparently in the process of energy recovery, which resulted in a significant speed difference between the cars.
As a result, the Haas competitor had to swerve and ended up losing control even before entering the corner. He even put the car on the grass, crossed the track uncontrollably, and ended up hitting the barrier hard.
Team principal Ayao Komatsu commented on the incident and highlighted the risk involved in the maneuver. “He was coming with a much higher speed compared to the car in front, so he had to swerve through the grass and ended up crashing. It was scary,” he stated.
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After the impact, Bearman managed to get out of the car, but was seen limping and remained sitting by the side of the track surrounded by marshals before being sent for medical evaluation. Later, it was confirmed that he did not suffer any fractures.
The driver started from only 18th position on the grid and had already been facing difficulties since qualifying. He reported car problems that compromised his performance, especially on the straight, in addition to a lack of pace on his decisive lap.
“On the first attempt we had a setup problem and lost time on the straights. On the second, I didn’t find performance and I need to understand if there was still something wrong with the car,” the driver said after the qualifying session.
Even with the retirement in Japan, Bearman was coming off a solid start to the 2026 Formula 1 season. Before the round in Suzuka, he held fifth position in the drivers’ championship, showing consistency in the first races of the year.
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