Formula 1 experienced a scary moment with Oliver Bearman’s heavy crash at the Japanese GP, and Haas has revealed the details that led to the collision. According to the team, the large speed difference compared to Alpine’s Franco Colapinto was decisive for the accident.
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Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu explained that the situation did not involve a clear error from either driver. According to the executive, the speed difference was a direct consequence of distinct energy management strategies.
Bearman was battling for 17th position with Colapinto after starting 18th and making an early pit stop. Upon reaching the Spoon curve, the Briton lost control at around 306 km/h and suffered a 50G impact when hitting the wall hard. Despite the scare, he managed to get out of the car and was diagnosed with a bruise on his right knee.
Komatsu explained that Colapinto had been maintaining consistent behavior in the previous laps: “Before Turn 13, Franco was always doing something consistent, it wasn’t his fault. On the previous lap, his speed was exactly the same, so we knew what we were dealing with,” he stated.
The difference arose due to Haas’s more aggressive use of energy in that section: “We were using more energy there, so even on normal laps we had about a 20 km/h advantage. Then Oliver used the ‘boost’ button, and that meant a speed difference of about 50 km/h,” Komatsu explained, with the FIA later confirming a delta of 45 km/h.
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The executive highlighted that the high closing speed made the maneuver extremely difficult: “The closing speed was huge and he just misjudged it. It’s something we talk about with these new rules, the speed difference can become a problem. Unfortunately, this was one of those cases,” he said.
Komatsu also revealed that Bearman took responsibility for what happened but avoided classifying the episode as an error: “He is upset with himself, saying he could have done better, but that 50 km/h difference is huge. I don’t like to call it an error, maybe a small misjudgment,” he added.
Finally, the Haas boss highlighted that the episode serves as a learning experience for all of Formula 1: “This was only the third race with this regulation, something he had never experienced. We need to be attentive as an F1 community and see how we can improve to avoid situations like this. I’m happy that Oliver didn’t suffer a serious injury,” he concluded.
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