Oliver Bearman suffered a reported 50G impact in a high-speed crash at the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka. Bearman closed about 50 kph faster than Franco Colapinto into Spoon Curve, and took avoiding action that sent his Haas across the track and through gravel before it struck a barrier. Marshals assisted him and X-rays cleared him of major injury apart from a badly bruised knee.

Stefano Domenicali said he changed his mind about the planned 2026 rules after seeing the incident, and fans reacted angrily, accusing officials of not taking driver safety seriously. Some drivers and commentators cited the crash as confirmation of earlier warnings from drivers such as George Russell that cars built to the 2026 regulations “would be like planes.” The debate centers on whether the 2026 technical direction needs adjustments to reduce closing speeds and mitigate launch risk in wheel-to-wheel incidents.

The FIA concluded that high closing speeds contributed to the Bearman and Colapinto crash and said it will consider potential changes during April. Cancellations of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian grands prix have given F1 an unexpected window to evaluate the 2026 rule package, and drivers, teams and fans are expected to watch that review closely because any tweaks could alter the series’ safety and technical trajectory ahead of 2026. Drivers’ representatives proposed concrete fixes, with Grand Prix Drivers’ Association president Alex Wurz urging changes to power-unit software, a ban on sudden deployment spikes at top speed and a standard software solution that factors speed and distance to prevent abrupt energy deployment and so-called “super clipping.” Wurz linked the concern to this season’s shift toward a roughly 50/50 combustion-electric split and increased battery harvesting, which he and others say has produced dangerous closing-speed deltas. The incident has intensified scrutiny and raised questions about potential reputational and regulatory pressure on the FIA and F1.

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