F1 fans scold ‘terrible’ 2026 regulations after Oliver Bearman’s nasty Japanese Grand Prix crash

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Oliver Bearman suffered a horrible accident at the Japanese Grand Prix after he was caught out by Franco Colapinto harvesting his battery.

The Haas driver has had an impressive start to the 2026 season, sitting fifth in the championship heading into the Japanese Grand Prix. However, Suzuka has proved to be a difficult weekend for him.

Bearman was knocked out in Q1 in qualifying and had to line up 18th on the grid. With the circuit not being the easiest place for overtaking, he had a huge task ahead of him, but his race was over after 22 laps.

Approaching turn 13, he came up behind the Alpine of Colapinto when the closing speed caught him out in braking. Bearman lost the car on the grass and spun across the track and into the barrier in a 50G impact.

F1 fans blast 2026 regulations after Oliver Bearman’s Japanese Grand Prix crash

Bearman was taken to the medical centre, where it was confirmed by Haas that he had suffered a right knee contusion. He was seen limping away from his car and had to be assisted by stewards, but thankfully, he sustained no fractures.

The Brit was deploying his battery on the run into turn 13, while Colapinto was harvesting his. The closing speed ultimately caught Bearman out, leading fans to scold the regulation changes on X (formerly Twitter).

“This is only because Colapinto is slowing down due to super clipping, dangerous rules,” said one fan. “First big accident caused by the massive closing speeds from clipping. It won’t be the last. Terrible engine regs,” said another.

One user echoed: “This is what happens when you do such stupid regulations, just incredibly dangerous!” Another agreed: “Look how the dangerous that was bc of those dumb batteries!! Shame.”

Many warned of more serious crashes under these regulations, with one saying: “There’s going to be more serious crashes like this with these dangerous regs.”

“A deployment difference between cars… well done F1… nice regs, we have the first injury… until someone gets hurt really bad you only will continue this disaster,” wrote another fan.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Oliver Bearman from F1 stats to net worth

Oliver Bearman’s crash at Suzuka is exactly what drivers and teams were worried about in 2026

Haas boss Ayao Komatsu instantly reacted to Bearman’s crash on the pit wall. He did not blame Colapinto for the incident and confirmed that he was heading to the medical centre.

It is the first accident caused by battery deployment and the closing speed of cars, and it is precisely what drivers and teams feared would happen over the winter.

Multiple instances of cars almost getting caught out by the driver in front, harvesting the battery, left many concerned. A driver, such as Bearman in Japan, coming up behind while deploying the battery is a huge safety risk.

Now that a crash of this nature has happened, it should serve as a wake-up call for F1, as another may not be too far away.