Will Buxton calls Bearman’s Suzuka crash a warning for F1 over 2026 rules

Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images Oliver Bearman’s crash at the Japanese Grand Prix has reignited concerns about Formula 1’s new safety regulations. The 50G impact was a frightening moment in what was otherwise an exciting race weekend at Suzuka. Fans reacted quickly, expressing their anger and concern that the incident highlighted serious flaws in the new rules designed to protect drivers.

Damon Hill added his voice to the growing list of critics, labelling the 2026 cars “highly dangerous” and aligning with many drivers who have already spoken out against the changes. Bearman was fortunate to avoid injury, but motorsport journalist Will Buxton believes this near miss should be enough to prompt action from FIA officials before a more serious outcome occurs. Will Buxton believes Oliver Bearman’s crash should be a warning to FIA officials Will Buxton addressed Oliver Bearman’s accident at Suzuka during his appearance on the Speed podcast , discussing the broader safety concerns linked to the new Formula 1 regulations.

He mentioned that the FIA plans to review the incident but emphasised the need for them to see it as a sign of potential issues if the current direction isn’t reconsidered. “I think the argument for a lot of these guys was always going to be about safety. After Suzuka, it’s very, very real now.

The FIA has actually gone on to state that the sport will use data from the first three race weekends to determine what changes, if any, need to be made. “Because with races being cancelled, they’ve now got a month where they can sit down and look at it and think: ‘Have we got this right or have we got this wrong? ’” “A massive investment has been made in these engines… At the moment, they are deploying faster than they can harvest.