F1 LIVE: Max Verstappen on WEC radar, as FIA name 'number one priority' after Bearman Suzuka crash

As the World Endurance Championship gets underway this weekend at the six-hour race at Imola, from conversations in the paddock, GPblog understands that every single hypercar team would make an attempt to reel in the four-time world champion, while speculation over his immediate F1 future continues to swirl.

Verstappen himself is in racing action this weekend, set to to take part in the ADAC 24 Hours Nürburgring Qualifiers, ahead of the full race next month.

The Dutchman has been praised in the world of endurance racing for having become an ambassador for the sport, which has enjoyed a surge of popularity in recent years, with top manufacturers having joined or planning to join the hypercar class, including both McLaren and Ford in 2027.

FIA Single-Seater Director Nikolas Tombazis has had his say on the serious crash involving Oliver Bearman at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Bearman was caught out by a closing speed of up to 50km/h when approaching the recharging Alpine of Franco Colapinto at Spoon Curve, taking avoiding action onto the grass, and then into the barrier after reaching 191mph.

Speaking in an interview with The Guardian, Tombazis acknowledged that high-speed crashes always come as a shock, admitting that while the incident was not expected, the issue of closing speeds had already been identified as a potential risk.

Tombazis said: "To say it was expected would be wrong but the closing speeds had been identified as a risk. There have been talks about it but there was not easily the ability to act on it before we had a bit of time to analyse a few of the parameters.

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