Stefano Domenicali has changed his mind about 2026 F1 rules after seeing Oliver Bearman crash

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Prior to the Japanese Grand Prix, Stefano Domenicali and the FIA were bullish about making changes to the new F1 regulations.

Bearman’s 50G crash at Suzuka raised alarm bells about the safety issues brought about by the new Formula One regulations.

Several fans called on F1 officials to make a change in the aftermath of the incident, suggesting that the authorities were not taking driver safety seriously.

There has been a lot of talk about how much the FIA prioritises driver safety compared to other aspects such as fan enjoyment.

But with Bearman’s crash effectively serving as a warning shot for the FIA, Stefano Domenicali may change his stance from what he was initially saying about the new rules.

READ MORE: Haas engineers had to show Oliver Bearman his data to change his mind about 50G Japanese GP crash

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.”

READ MORE: Damon Hill says 2026 F1 cars are ‘highly dangerous’ after Oliver Bearman’s Japanese GP crash

Martin Brundle perfectly sums up the start of F1’s new era

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FIA reportedly won’t introduce expected package at Miami due to ‘minimal gains’

Speaking further on the podcast, Cerasoli revealed that the FIA were initially working on a change to the regulations that would have addressed harvesting limits and deployment issues.

Adding to that, ESPN’s Nate Saunders revealed that the FIA conducted simulations to test the efficacy of these regulations and found that the changes made almost no impact or improvement.

“That’s one thing they’ve been saying is, ‘We want to be able to control it all the way around the lap.’ But it wasn’t really designed for that. It wasn’t meant to be used as an ad nauseam thing.

“I’m right in saying that they’ve tried a few simulations of what you’ve mentioned, and it was really minimal gains at most places, if not no change at all.”

This news is unlikely to make drivers on the grid very happy. Several F1 drivers want a return to full combustion engines in the aftermath of the new regulations.

But even the FIA’s attempts to tweak the rules to improve the driving experience haven’t worked out, and they may have to wait beyond the Miami Grand Prix for any improvement.