F1 urged to make immediate changes following frightening crash.
F1 and the FIA have been urged to make immediate changes to the new regulations for this season following Oliver Bearman's frightening crash during the recent Japanese Grand Prix.
7 Apr 2026
RacingNews365 Staff
RacingNews365
Oliver Bearman was fortunate to escape with nothing worse than a contusion to his right knee following a 50g impact with a barrier at Sukuka after avoiding running into the back of Franco Colapinto in his Alpine. The incident threw an uncomfortable spotlight on an area of racing that the FIA, in particular, opted to ignore heading into the race in Japan despite repeated warnings from the drivers.
Bearman was caught out by the significant closing-speed difference between himself and Colapinto as they used different energy deployment settings at that moment in the race. The Haas driver was travelling 50 km/h faster than his rival and felt he was not given adequate room on the inside before skating across the grass and into the barrier at high speed.
Post-race, the F1 drivers highlighted the seriousness of the incident and the dangers posed by the new power units in wheel-to-wheel action. F1 fans have also had their say in a RacingNews365 poll, and the overwhelming majority have made it clear that the FIA needs to react swiftly before the next race in Miami in early May to avoid a repeat situation.
‘F1 and the FIA have been urged to make immediate changes’;
https://racingnews365.com/f1-urged-t...ghtening-crash
Damon Hill says 2026 F1 cars are ‘highly dangerous’ after Oliver Bearman’s Japanese GP crash
30 Mar 2026
Aaditya Krishnamurthy
F1 Oversteer
Damon Hill claims ‘safety issue’ with new F1 regulations has been exposed. In response to the FIA’s post on X, where they defended the new regulations and vowed to look into the safety concerns, Damon Hill responded that there is a safety issue at play.
“I think we have a safety issue. Cars suddenly slowing at high speed is highly dangerous.” When informed of Carlos Sainz’s criticism of the new regulations, Hill agreed and noted that these concerns from him and other drivers are completely valid. “I think he’s right to be concerned. Cars unexpectedly slowing on the fastest parts of any circuit is tantamount to being ‘brake tested’. Lights are slightly too late to give enough warning.”
‘Highly dangerous’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/dam...nese-gp-crash/
Martin Brundle questions legality of 2026 F1 cars
8 Apr 2026
James Phillips
Motorsport Week
Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle outlined his displeasure and alarm with the discovery, calling into question the car’s legality, believing the cars are becoming “self-learning” “Now, there’s a regulation in Formula 1, it’s been around for forever, it’s very simple and far-reaching,” he said on The F1 Show. “The driver must drive the car alone and unaided,” Brundle insists.
And article 27.1 of the sporting regulations does indeed mandate that a driver must pilot their vehicle independently, yet the current power units are overriding their input. “I think the problem the drivers have got; one thing that really worried me was Lando Norris saying ‘I didn’t want to overtake Lewis Hamilton, but my battery decided it did, and then I had nothing to defend with’.”
“The drivers shouldn’t have any surprises by a self-learning car. They’ve got to get rid of that. I’m sure it’s not the work of a moment, but the power delivery must be proportional to what the drivers are doing with the throttle. That’s the fundamental. It has to be linear. It’s a big issue for the FIA.”
‘Legality of 2026 F1 cars’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2026/...-2026-f1-cars/
Marko urges FIA action: ‘The driving aspect needs to come back’
5 Apr 2026
Michael Delaney
F1i.com
Former Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has delivered a blunt warning to Formula 1’s leadership and to the FIA, insisting urgent action is needed to rein in the sport’s increasingly complex regulations in a bid to bring the drivers back to the forefront of the competition.
At the heart of the issue lies the heavy reliance on hybrid systems, with battery deployment and software strategy often overshadowing driver input. For Marko, that balance has tipped too far. "On the chassis side, the deficit is quite large," the Austrian told Kleine Zeitung. "But Red Bull has a tradition of turning things like that around. It’s just all too complicated, and the software plays an overly dominant role."
Marko’s call to action is as direct as it is urgent. "Whether you can correct that within a single season, I don’t know," Marko continued. "Something has to be done, and the driving aspect needs to come back to the forefront. The mood among the drivers is negative. Adjustments need to be made now, and hopefully, the FIA will do everything it can to reduce the role of the battery and place more emphasis on the combustion engine."
‘Blunt warning’;
https://f1i.com/news/562492-marko-ur...come-back.html
Can F1 navigate its crossroads crisis?
7 Apr 2026
James Phillips and Jack Oliver Smith
Motorsport Week
Crisis talks are scheduled this week between the FIA and the teams to address the 2026 F1 regulations. These meetings will prove crucial on the long road to securing the sport’s future and moving it away from the constant mocking, meming, and savage takedowns it has endured in the open races of the season.
Why change regulations when all that money is coming in, benefiting a select few, [most importantly you] and politically, you hold all the cards in the sport? And so, what if no one likes the new rules? Shareholders are delighted, and the $5k suits can be worn in the paddock, with the surplus income made can continue to be flaunted while fans pay big bucks to watch a substandard, dreadful and soul-destroying product.
Except, as with all gouging and asset extraction, there comes a point at which this becomes noticeable to the average consumer, and they lose interest. At this point, they stop paying with their wallets, while mocking the increasingly poor attempts by those involved to justify their decisions as the world begins to criticise and distance itself, interest rapidly declining. The wider world knows it’s a terrible choice, and even those responsible know, but they are forced to carry on regardless.
‘Crisis talks’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2026/...sroads-crisis/
Lewis Hamilton: F1 drivers “have no voting rights” as FIA “only listening to teams”
F1 drivers are calling for rule changes to the 2026 cars, but FIA only listening to teams so far
29 Mar 2026
Lewis Duncan , Adam Cooper
Crash.Net
Complaints over F1’s new power unit regulations and the energy management required have continued to draw criticism from drivers at the Japanese Grand Prix. These have only been intensified following Ollie Bearman’s crash in Sunday’s race, when he was caught out by a 50km/h speed differential with Franco Colapinto’s Alpine.
While the drivers have been voicing their suggestions and feedback to the FIA, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton shot down suggestions on Sunday that they will hold any real influence. “The drivers don’t have a say,” he told the media, including Crash.net. “We have no power. We’re not on the committee; we have no voting rights.”
Stefano Domenicali has changed his mind about 2026 F1 rules after seeing Oliver Bearman crash
8 April 2026
Aaditya Krishnamurthy
F1 Oversteer
Stefano Domenicali and FIA reportedly refused to make changes to 2026 regulations till Hungarian GP. Speaking on the Nailing the Apex podcast, F1 journalist Julianne Cerasoli revealed that she had spoken to Stefano Domenicali and other members of the FIA prior to the Japanese Grand Prix.
Domenicali was reportedly bullish about the new regulations, refusing to make a change as he didn’t see any issues with the racing, and admitting that any changes would come only after the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I was talking to people from teams, and I spoke to Stefano (Domenicali), and spoke to the FIA. And they’re all saying, ‘No, the racing is fine. There are no issues with the racing.”
“We are only going to address qualifying because qualifying is absolutely ridiculous. For racing, we just need people to be more adjusted to the regulations, and all the stuff that you’re seeing that maybe isn’t right. It’s because of that nobody is optimising anything. So let’s wait until Hungary.’ That’s what I was hearing. Now, after what happened with Bearman, I think they will do something for Miami.”
‘Changed his mind’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/ste...bearman-crash/
