Oliver Bearman was involved in a heavy crash at the Formula 1 Japanese GP on Sunday (29), after failing to reduce speed when going off track after swerving to avoid Alpine’s Franco Colapinto, who was slower. The Haas driver went across the grass, spun, and hit the barrier with a 50G impact, being seen limping as he left his car.
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Ayao Komatsu, team principal, explained that Bearman is taking part of the blame, even without being considered responsible for the incident. “He is blaming himself,” he told the press. “He says: ‘I should have done better, no excuses’. But looking at it, the 50 km/h difference in closing speed is huge.”
The Japanese executive highlighted that the episode serves as a learning experience: “It’s a lesson. So, I’m sure we’ll talk about it regarding our future, how we can improve. So it’s part of it. I’m glad he didn’t have a serious injury. He hit his knee hard, but he’s fine.”
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Komatsu also commented on the risks generated by the new energy recovery and deployment modes this season, recalling that many drivers have already warned about the possibility of major collisions. “I don’t want to give a hasty answer. With different power unit manufacturers, deployments are very varied. Some drivers reached much higher speeds at Turn 1 or Turn 16. At Turn 13, Ollie knew he had an advantage, so he went for it. But when you use the boost button, the difference is huge. We need to think a bit more about that.”
The FIA (International Automobile Federation) and the teams will meet on April 9 to define changes to the category’s technical regulations.
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