FIA name ‘number one priority’ as Bearman crash sparks safety concerns

Photo: Race Pictures
Tobia is a Formula 1 journalist at GPblog with experience at international circuits. Since 2022, he has covered Grands Prix across Europe, delivering reliable coverage and insights from the paddock.
FIA Single-Seater Director Nikolas Tombazis has had his say on the serious crash involving Oliver Bearman at the Japanese Grand Prix.
The incident involving the Haas driver continues to spark debate weeks later, with safety concerns taking centre stage after several drivers, led by Verstappen, had already voiced serious doubts over the new regulations.
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.
He explained that discussions had taken place around the topic, but also pointed out that there was limited scope to act immediately, as more time was needed to properly analyse the data and better understand the parameters involved.
Read also
ADVERTISEMENT
“Every accident at high speed is always a little bit of a shock. 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.
“When we’ve introduced changes in a much more hurried way, the risk is that we make things worse or we cause all sorts of other issues, so that’s why we need to have a bit of time to analyse. Clearly safety is the number one priority.”

Photo: Race Pictures
Make GPblog your preferred source on Google and see our content first in Google Discover and Google News.
Follow GPblog on social media to stay updated on all Formula 1 news: Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
ADVERTISEMENT
FIA insist new Formula 1 rules don’t need a ‘complete rewrite’
Speaking in the same interview, the Greek engineer made it clear that a complete overhaul is not on the table, stressing that the situation is far from critical and only requires targeted adjustments rather than drastic changes.
He acknowledged that there are areas to address from both a drivability and safety perspective, underlining that improvements are necessary and should not be ignored.
Read also
At the same time, he pushed back against the idea that the regulations are fundamentally flawed, pointing out that fans are still enjoying the racing, while the issues that have emerged are specific and solvable, with some drivers also highlighting areas where further refinements could be made.
ADVERTISEMENT
Stay up to date with the latest Formula 1 news? Follow GPblog.com on WhatsApp Channels and receive the most important updates first.
Listen to or watch the GPblog.com video podcast. In the F1 Paddock Update, Jim Kimberley and Ben Hunt discuss the latest Formula 1 news. New episodes are available every Monday and Thursday on YouTube, Spotify, or your favourite podcast app.
Read also
Don’t miss GPblog in Google
Mark us as a preferred source and our articles will appear more often at the top of Top Stories.
Add as a preferred / source on Google






