(Motorsport-Total.com) – Dear readers,
Formula 1 got off lightly at the Japanese Grand Prix: When Oliver Bearman went off track and landed in the grass with his Haas while trying to avoid Franco Colapinto’s Alpine, the Briton was driving at the speed of a Shinkansen, a Japanese high-speed train.
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Bearman had hardly slowed down before crashing into the wall moments later. A bruise on his right knee as a result of a 50 g impact is the best possible outcome after such an accident, just a few corners away from where Formula 1 once lost its future Ferrari superstar.
There was nothing unusual about what Franco Colapinto did immediately before. “When I looked in the mirror, he was spinning in the grass,” the Argentine recalled directly after the race in the so-called “media pen,” suggesting that he hadn’t seen Bearman’s attack attempt coming at all.
Corner actually no place for overtaking
He probably didn’t even think about defending, because the right-hander before Spoon is not exactly a place for overtaking. Or at least it wasn’t until the 2026 season, apart from some desperate attempts, such as Sebastian Vettel against Max Verstappen in 2018, which ended in a predictable collision.
Five seconds before the Haas pulled alongside the Alpine, Colapinto probably wouldn’t have even seen Bearman in his mirrors, so far back was the Haas driver before he “took a mushroom.” But even if Franco saw the Godzilla-designed Haas approaching, there wasn’t much wrong with his behavior.
Yes, he didn’t pull to the inner white line, but there was probably still just enough room on the left for Bearman … provided he had been traveling at a speed that would have been normal for a Formula 1 car until not so long ago.
Instead, the speed difference was a massive 45 km/h, making it almost impossible for Bearman to commit to the gap on the left without losing control of the car. “I honestly haven’t seen his onboard,” Colapinto told journalists.
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“I think that’s something that needs to be looked at for the future, because sometimes it’s a bit dangerous. Especially when you have no sense of how much faster the other car is, because we have no way of knowing.”
Bearman accident is a wake-up call for Formula 1
“We look in the mirror once – and suddenly the other car is already past you. It’s a bit confusing,” explains the Alpine driver. He seemed as calm and composed as usual, but he likely took some time later to watch the onboards, both Bearman’s and his own.
Did he think about what could have happened? Did he ask himself difficult questions? Fortunately, even if that was the case, he likely found comfort in how far safety in Formula 1 has developed – before he went to sleep.
For the sport itself, however, it should be a wake-up call. The first three races of the new season probably don’t yet provide a sufficient data basis for a final judgment on what to do next, but Bearman’s accident could well serve as a catalyst to speed up the process.
For Formula 1 and the world governing body FIA, there is much to weigh up when it comes to balancing entertainment and safety. But Suzuka seems to have provided some clear indications of what needs to be addressed first. And just in time for the five-week break.
The circuit may have come into focus for the wrong reasons, but could now serve as an opportunity to address immediate problems: qualifying and the massive speed differences. Five weeks may seem sufficient, but there is still no time to lose. Because in Miami, the walls are much closer.
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Yours,
Oleg Karpov