Martin Brundle has called on the FIA to address what he describes as a “fundamentally flawed” power delivery system, following Ollie Bearman’s high-speed crash at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Bearman took avoiding action during the race at the Suzuka circuit when he quickly came up behind Alpine’s Franco Colapinto, who was harvesting energy at the time. After dipping onto the grass, the Briton lost control and crashed into the barriers. While he limped away from the wreck, he was later cleared by the on-site medics.
Speaking on the Sky Sports F1 Show, Brundle defended Franco Colapinto in the situation. “Well, it was high closing speeds. I think Franco Colapinto, I don’t think there was any malice in there. He could have given him a bit more space. I suspect he was looking down at his steering wheel, trying to work out what was going on with a gutless racing car underneath him that wasn’t accelerating.
“Ollie’s obviously on full beans and coming at him. And they just met in the middle on a very long flat-out curve.”
While Brundle noted that massive closing speeds and sudden deceleration are not new concepts in the championship, he argued that the modern power units should not include self-learning aspects.
“It’s always been an issue. It’s been an issue at Le Mans. It’s been an issue in Formula 1, cars slowing down in front of you with engine problems or whatever.
“But back in the day, we probably had some clues that was going to happen. You could smell the oil burning, see some smoke, or hear an engine misfire. If a driver in front of you missed a gear when we had manual gearboxes, that happened a lot. So, you’re always ready for it.
Martin Brundle, Sky Sports F1
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
“Closing speeds in qualifying, as when we used to have the turbos and qualifying tyres, would be double what they are now, for example. You had to manage it. So, let’s not pretend that’s a 2026-only issue.
“I think the problem the drivers have got and one thing that really worried me was Lando Norris saying, ‘I didn’t want to overtake Lewis Hamilton, but my battery decided it did and then I had nothing to defend with.’
“Now, there’s a regulation in Formula 1. It’s been around forever. It’s very simple and far-reaching. The driver must drive the car alone and unaided. The driver shouldn’t have any surprises by a self-learning car. They’ve got to get rid of that.
“I’m sure it’s not the work of the moment, but the power delivery must be proportional to what the driver is doing with the throttle. That’s a fundamental. It has to be linear, as I said. It’s a big issue for the FIA because its driver safety is sacrosanct. I think they’re fourth in line in terms of priorities.
“The top priority is the fans because they’re paying to be there. They haven’t bought into any element of risk, and they have to be protected. Next up are the marshals, the corner workers, because they’re not being paid to be there, but they assume an element of risk because they’re trackside.
“Next up, for me, are the pitstop crew in terms of priorities. And finally, the drivers. The cars are pretty safe. Everybody’s health and safety is sacrosanct, but the FIA will now have to make a change for Miami because the drivers have voiced this. It’s very much out there.
“I would be pretty certain they’ve put that in writing through the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association as well. So, if a car flies into the crowd now and they haven’t done something, shown some due diligence on this, then the FIA will be in for the high jump.
“So, they will now have to do something and listen to the drivers. But we’re hamstrung. We’ve got a motor that turns out three times its electrical power compared to last year, and the battery depletes in any given decent straight.
“We’re between a rock and a hard place really on this because the hardware is just not up to it. And we’ve talked about this for three years now. We knew it was going to be like this. This is fundamentally flawed, but I think they should be able to smooth some of these elements out.”
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