GPDA director outlines solution to avoid future Bearman-style crashes

Almost a week has passed since the frightening incident involving Franco Colapinto and the Haas driver, with the latter caught out by the Alpine’s sudden speed delta ahead and forced onto the grass, instantly becoming a passenger in his own car.

From there, a heavy impact with the barriers was unavoidable, with Bearman hitting at very high speed and emerging visibly limping — although he ultimately avoided more serious injuries from what could have been a far more severe crash.

Speaking on the Lift and Roast podcast, Wurz addressed the issue by stressing that sudden deployment spikes at top speed have to be banned, adding that this would require a standardised piece of software applied equally across all teams.

“We need to do one thing: we have to make sure that nothing like an Oliver Bearman incident happens again. For safety reasons, we simply have to ban sudden deployment spikes at top speed. That would require a piece of software that is standard across all teams, one that perhaps factors in speed and distance so we just don’t see these situations anymore.”

He also stressed how dangerous the situation becomes in low-visibility conditions like rain, where drivers are forced to rely purely on instinct and may not even realise a slower car is ahead. In such scenarios, a car affected by superclipping could create a massive speed differential, leading to a high-speed rear-end collision.

Going into further detail on the topic during the same podcast, he revealed that the drivers’ WhatsApp group he set up back in 2015 has been unusually active, with constant exchanges even in the lead-up to the recording.

He explained that the chat is currently filled with a mix of emotions, potential solutions, technical ideas and ongoing discussions, all centred around ensuring that the drivers’ voices are properly heard.