Oliver Bearman has taken aim at Franco Colapinto, labelling his defensive move at the Japanese Grand Prix “unacceptable” after it triggered a massive crash for the Haas driver.
Oliver Bearman criticized Franco Colapinto’s defensive maneuver at the Japanese Grand Prix, calling it “unacceptable” due to the high speed differentials resulting from F1’s new regulations that drivers had recently agreed to approach with caution. Unfortunately, Bearman crashed heavily on lap 21 at Suzuka’s Spoon Curve while trying to pass the Alpine car, leading to a 50G impact that ended his race prematurely. The incident, where the cars had a closing speed difference of around 50kph, raised concerns about the safety implications related to the revised rules’ energy management demands. According to Bearman, this was a unique situation in F1 history or recent memory, where two cars in a position battle faced such a significant speed delta, which was a consequence of the new regulations. Bearman highlighted Franco’s defensive move, noting that while it may have been acceptable in the past with smaller speed differentials, at 50kph, it left him with insufficient space, requiring evasive action to prevent a potentially disastrous collision. He emphasized the potential severity of the situation, mentioning that even a small move at such high speeds could have led to a much more serious outcome, expressing gratitude for avoiding a major crash scenario.
