(Motorsport-Total.com) – Oliver Bearman’s serious accident was unfortunately “no surprise,” says McLaren team principal Andrea Stella after the Japanese Grand Prix. The Haas driver crashed heavily there because he had to avoid the slow Alpine of Franco Colapinto in front of him.
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“Regarding the incident with Oliver, in my opinion, this situation is no surprise considering how high the closing speed can be when one car lifts off or has a superclip while the other car is deploying energy,” said Stella.
“We already said that during testing,” emphasizes the team principal, echoing the sentiments of Carlos Sainz. According to his own statement, it was also clear to the Spaniard “that it was only a matter of time before such an accident happened.”
Bearman was around 50 km/h faster than Colapinto on Sunday when the crash occurred. These high speed differences are a consequence of the new regulations, which is why Stella is now calling on the world governing body (FIA) to finally look for a solution to the problem.
“We don’t want to wait until something happens to take action. So today something happened,” said the McLaren team principal, emphasizing: “We have a responsibility to take measures that should be implemented, especially from a safety perspective.”
Stella admits: There is no simple solution
Although Stella avoids attacking the FIA directly, his message is clear: The Bearman accident could probably have been prevented, as the problem had been known for some time. Nevertheless, no sufficient countermeasures have been taken so far.
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The point is “on the FIA’s agenda with regard to the aspects of the 2026 regulations that should be improved,” Stella knows. But he wants this topic to be treated as a priority now – and not just as one of many on a list.
“This should be put at the top of the agenda,” he demands, explaining: “This is a case that should be investigated with a certain analytical approach. I don’t think there is a simple solution.”
Rather, “it could be a combination of different factors that are required for this,” said the McLaren team principal, who nevertheless emphasized: “We have the expertise and the engineers, and the necessary variables are there to take action.”
“I think this will be a topic that will be addressed in the meetings between the FIA, the teams, and Formula 1 during the break,” said Stella. The next meeting of all parties involved is already scheduled for April 9.
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