The FIA has resumed discussions on safety in Formula 1 following Oliver Bearman’s severe accident at the Japanese GP. The FIA stated that safety is the ‘number one priority’ while analyzing possible adjustments after the incident in Suzuka.
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The Haas driver’s accident continues to generate debate weeks after the race, especially after several drivers, led by Max Verstappen, raised concerns about the new regulations. The high-speed collision once again highlighted the safety conditions of the current generation of cars.
Nikolas Tombazis, FIA single-seater director, acknowledged that the accident was impactful and explained that the topic had already been discussed internally. According to him, the increase in relative speeds between cars had already been identified as a possible risk: “Every high-speed accident is always a bit shocking. To say it was expected would be wrong, but the relative speeds had been identified as a risk. There were discussions about this, but there was no easy way to act before we had time to analyze some parameters,” Tombazis said in an interview with The Guardian.
The official also emphasized that rushed changes could create new problems: “When we introduce changes more hastily, the risk is to make things worse or cause other problems, so we need time to analyze. Clearly, safety is the number one priority,” he said.
Despite concerns, the FIA indicated that it does not consider a complete overhaul of the current regulations necessary. Tombazis stated that the situation is not critical and that targeted adjustments should be sufficient to address the identified issues, including the large speed difference between cars when one of them is decelerating to recover energy.
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The Greek engineer also acknowledged that there are areas that need improvement, both in terms of drivability and safety. Still, he reinforced that the observed flaws are specific and can be corrected without radical changes.
According to Tombazis, the entity does not see the regulations as fundamentally problematic. He highlighted that the public continues to enjoy the races and that the concerns raised by some drivers only point to the need for additional refinements.
With the analysis still ongoing, the FIA is expected to continue evaluating data and suggestions before making decisions. Bearman’s accident, however, reinforced the importance of careful adjustments to keep safety as the highest priority in Formula 1.
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