Toto Wolff argued that the FIA and Formula 1 teams should consider changes to the 2026 season regulations to prevent more accidents like Oliver Bearman’s at the Japanese GP.
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During the race in Suzuka, the Haas driver was traveling at a much higher speed than Franco Colapinto, who was ahead of him. This caught the Briton by surprise, who swerved the car, went into the runoff area, and hit a protective barrier with a force of 50G, limping out of the car.
Drivers had already warned about the possibility of this scenario happening and now, during the April break, the FIA and the teams will meet for specific changes to the regulations, and Wolff also expects them to discuss competitor safety.
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“Yes, this is something we need to look at, clearly. We don’t want this to happen,” he added, before pointing out how the rules are not yet mature, as only three rounds of the calendar have passed. “Are the regulations still in an early stage? And I am sure that the FIA and we, the teams, will analyze the accident very carefully to see how we can prevent this from happening again.”
The Austrian executive said he believes there is no such obvious solution to avoid these speed excesses, and when questioned on the subject, he said “no, but I am sure there are already people more competent than me at Mercedes racking their brains to figure out how to avoid this.”
