Oliver Bearman avoided serious injury after limping away from his Haas following a heavy crash at the Japanese Grand Prix. The 20-year-old was contesting 17th place with Alpine’s Franco Colapinto on lap 21 when he lost control, ran onto the grass and spun into the barrier at Spoon Curve at high speed.
Marshals assisted Bearman, who had to sit down after exiting the car. X-rays at the track medical centre showed he had not suffered any fractures, and Haas confirmed he was cleared at the circuit. Bearman said: “Everything’s good, first of all. I’m absolutely fine. It was a scary moment that happened out there but everything’s ok, which is the main thing. The car is a bit worse for wear, but we have a month now to reset and come back. I can only apologise from the bottom of my heart to the team for that because it’s a lot of work for them.”
The crash was attributed to a large speed differential between the two cars caused by differing energy deployment states under the sport’s new regulations. Bearman estimated an overspeed of about 50kph and said he felt he “wasn’t really given much space” given the excess speed. The nature of the incident prompted the FIA to announce post-race meetings to review the 2026 regulations. Bearman added that drivers had discussed the need to be prepared for the huge speed deltas and had warned the FIA of the potential consequences.
The incident brought out a Safety Car, which reshaped the race order and allowed eventual winner Kimi Antonelli to leapfrog Oscar Piastri and George Russell to take the lead.
F1 returns May 1-3 with the Miami Grand Prix, the season’s second Sprint weekend, live on Sky Sports F1.