Ollie Bearman's First Reaction After the Frightening Crash at Japanese Grand Prix

Ollie Bearman reflects on the horrific crash he experienced at the Grand Prix of Japan.

Haas Formula 1 driver, Ollie Bearman, has given his first reaction after suffering a crash at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Bearman was involved in a severe crash at the Spoon turn on Lap 22 while making a sharp turn onto the grass and losing control of his car in an attempt to avoid a collision with Franco Colapinto as they battled for 17th place.

The English driver was traveling at a speed far exceeding Colapinto's Alpine and hit the barrier with a 50G impact.

Bearman was seen limping away from the crash site with a bruise on his right knee but did not suffer any fractures.

"First of all, everything is fine, I'm really fine," said Bearman, recalling the frightening incident.

"It was a scary moment, what happened there, but everything is fine, that's the main thing. The car is a bit damaged, but we have a month to fix it and come back.

"I can only apologize from the bottom of my heart to the team for that, because it's a lot of work.

The crash is a scenario that F1 drivers have repeatedly expressed concerns about, regarding the difference in speed between cars due to the new Power Unit regulations introduced in 2026.

"It was an enormous speed difference, 50 km/h, which is part of the new rules that I think we need to get used to," explained Bearman. "But I also feel I was given a lot of space considering the speed difference I was carrying.

"This is something we discussed on Friday with the other drivers and the Stewards, that we need to be a bit more careful, a bit more prepared, because of these huge speed differences.

"I think as a group, we have warned the FIA about what could happen, and this is an unfortunate result of the huge speed difference that we've never seen in F1 before these regulations.

Haas Team Principal, Ayao Komatsu, did not blame Colapinto, who said he was an "easy target" in the incident that led to Bearman's crash.

"Colapinto always does something consistent, it's not his fault at all," Komatsu told the media, including Crash.net, at Suzuka.

"We just pushed a bit harder there. Even with a normal lap, we had a 20 km/h advantage. That's why he wanted to do it.

"He pushed the accelerator, but that meant his speed was 50 km/h [faster]. The closing speed was very high, and he misjudged it.

"This is one of the things we've discussed regarding these regulations, that the closing speed could become a problem, and unfortunately, this is one of those incidents.

"Of course, he's regretful, saying he should have done better and there's no excuse. But if you look at it, the 50 km/h closing speed difference is huge, so it's a lesson.

"I'm sure we'll discuss it for the future and how we can improve. I'm just glad he didn't suffer any serious injuries. His knee hurts, but he's fine.

Komatsu considered the crash to be caused by a "minor mistake" by Bearman and emphasized that it "could have been much worse".

In response to Bearman's major crash, the FIA provided clarification regarding potential rule changes amid safety concerns for the drivers.

The FIA confirmed that several meetings will be held throughout April to further discuss the issue with the teams, Power Unit manufacturers, drivers, and FOM.

"Since its introduction, the 2026 regulation has been the subject of ongoing discussions between the FIA, Teams, Power Unit manufacturers, drivers, and FOM," the FIA said in a statement.

"By design, the regulation includes a number of parameters that can be adjusted, particularly with regard to energy management, which allows for optimization based on real-world data.

"The consistent position of all stakeholders is that a structured review will be carried out after the opening phase of the season, to allow for sufficient data collection and analysis. Therefore, a number of meetings are scheduled for April to assess the operation of the new regulation and to determine if any improvements are required.

"Any potential adjustments, particularly those related to energy management, require careful simulation and detailed analysis. The FIA will continue to work closely and constructively with all stakeholders to ensure the best outcome for the sport, and safety will always be a core element of the FIA's mission.

"At this stage, any speculation regarding the nature of potential changes would be premature. Further updates will be communicated in due course.