Oliver Bearman Speaks Out on Japanese Grand Prix Incident
Oliver Bearman has finally spoken out about the incident that occurred during the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix, placing full responsibility on Franco Colapinto. The collision took place on lap 22 of the 53-lap race, where Bearman was running approximately one second behind the Alpine as they navigated through Suzuka’s sector two.
At that moment, Bearman suddenly closed in on Colapinto, who was harvesting energy. The speed differential between the two cars was nearly 50km/h, forcing Bearman to take evasive action by moving to the left and onto the grass. This move caused him to lose control, leading to a crash into the barriers at Spoon with a 50G impact. Fortunately, Bearman did not suffer any injuries but required assistance to exit his Haas car.
Bearman did not address the media immediately after the race, but he spoke about the incident on Thursday in an interview with the Up to Speed podcast. He described the situation as unprecedented, stating, “That’s the first time really in history, or at least in as long as I can remember, that two cars fighting for position have such a massive speed delta, and that’s really an unfortunate consequence of these regulations.”
The 20-year-old driver then blamed Colapinto, arguing that the Argentine moved to the left to defend his position at P17, despite his team principal Ayao Komatsu absolving him of any responsibility. Bearman explained, “Franco moved in front of me to defend his position. Last year it would have been absolutely on the limit, but probably acceptable with just a five or 10km/h speed delta. But with 50km/h, he didn’t leave me enough space and I basically had to avoid a much, much bigger crash.”
He added, “When he moved left, it was a small move, but with that speed difference, any move is huge, so I was lucky not to hit him. It would have been much, much worse if I had.”
Bearman’s frustration with Colapinto was further heightened because such scenarios had been discussed in the drivers’ briefing ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix. “It was something we spoke about on Friday, which makes it even more frustrating,” he said. “We said among all the drivers: we need to give each other a bit more respect, move to defend your position a bit earlier, because the speed deltas are much higher than we’ve ever had in our sport. And then two days later that happens, which for me was unacceptable.”
Bearman reiterated that he was very unhappy with Colapinto over the incident and called for greater respect between drivers, while also pointing to potential changes that could be made alongside the FIA. “He saw me coming and moved,” he said. “Last year it would have been fine; this year he sees me coming too late. I’m arriving with such a speed delta that at that point, it’s too late to move. So I saw him look in his mirror and go left, which is not good.”
“We need to sort these things out between drivers, have a bit more respect between us, because I was really not happy with what he did. But I also think there are a few tweaks we can make with the FIA, and we’ve been working very well together to try and avoid these big speed differences in any case. Because, as I said, 50km/h is normally like a car on a cool-down lap versus a car pushing – and when they then move to defend, it becomes dangerous.”
Bearman concluded by expressing his relief at being unharmed and looking forward to the next round of the 2026 F1 campaign. “I’m glad I’m okay and happy to be completely fine, looking forward to Miami.”
Miami will host the next round of the 2026 F1 campaign from 1-3 May.
