F1 – HAAS driver Oliver Bearman described his high-speed crash in yesterday’s Japanese Grand Prix as “a scary moment” with the incident sparking calls for the sport’s regulator to make safety-related changes to its new rules.
Bearman’s car hit the barriers with a force of 50G at Spoon, the US-owned team said, after approaching Franco Colapinto’s Alpine with a 50-kilometre-per-hour difference in speed between the two cars.
As the Haas swerved left to avoid contact, the car went onto the grass and through a marker board as the 20-year-old lost control at 308 kph with the safety car then deployed in a key moment of the race.
“I’m absolutely fine,” said Bearman, who was seen limping away from his crashed car, but escaped without any broken bones and only a right knee contusion.
Formula One has introduced sweeping new rules this season with the hybrid power units in the cars now split near 50-50 between electric and combustion power.
This has introduced an element of energy management to the racing with teams striking a balance between deploying electrical power and harvesting energy to recharge the power unit’s batteries. Different teams are deploying and harvesting at different parts of the track, creating speed differentials between individual cars.
Haas boss Ayao Komatsu said Bearman, was shaping up for an overtaking move and hit the boost button to call on additional power. Formula One’s governing body said in a statement the new rules would be assessed and the need for any changes determined over a series of meetings in April.
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