Haas driver Oliver Bearman has avoided serious injury following a massive 50G crash during the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday.
The 20-year-old Briton lost control of his car on lap 21 while chasing down Alpine’s Franco Colapinto for 17th place.
Veering onto the grass at high speed, the young racer spun violently into the barriers at Suzuka’s notoriously difficult Spoon Curve.
He was immediately assisted by trackside marshals and was seen limping, requiring a moment to sit down after extracting himself from the wrecked chassis.
Medical checks clear driver of fractures
Following the severe impact, the shaken competitor was swiftly transported to the track’s medical centre for a full clinical evaluation.
An X-ray confirmed there were no broken bones, bringing a huge sense of relief to the American racing team.
A spokesperson for the constructor provided a detailed update on his physical condition shortly after the incident.
“50G impact – has had X-ray at Medical Centre. No fractures – a right knee contusion following the impact.”
The team subsequently reassured worried fans via social media that their promising prospect was recovering well.
Safety car shakes up race leaders
The severity of the barrier collision immediately triggered a safety car period, dramatically altering the complexion of the race at the front of the pack.
Kimi Antonelli capitalized on the resulting neutralization, leapfrogging both Oscar Piastri and George Russell to seize the grand prix lead.
Formula 1 action will resume next month with the Miami Grand Prix, marking the second Sprint weekend of the 2026 season.
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton has been issued a rare black-and-white warning flag by the FIA for driving too slowly during a difficult qualifying session at the Japanese Grand Prix.
The 41-year-old was penalised as he exited the pit lane at Suzuka in pursuit of undisturbed airflow.
This technical infraction acts as a final warning, meaning any further breaches could result in a grid drop or a 10-second time penalty.
It compounded a frustrating afternoon for the seven-time world champion, who could only manage the sixth fastest time on the grid.
Struggles for straight-line speed
The British driver is currently chasing Michael Schumacher’s all-time record of six victories in Japan.
However, matching that historic milestone on Sunday will be an uphill battle against a dominant Silver Arrows team.
“I was feeling pretty decent, it’s just we’re not very quick compared to the Mercedes and a little bit the McLaren.”
“My first lap I was up and then I lost two and a half tenths just on the straights.”
The former Mercedes star also noted a sudden snap in his car that altered his energy deployment and ruined his final flying lap.
Mercedes dominate the front row
Current championship leaders Mercedes have enjoyed a flawless start to the campaign with victories in Australia and China.
Their momentum continued at Suzuka, with Kimi Antonelli securing pole position ahead of teammate George Russell.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri will start from third, sharing the second row with Charles Leclerc in the sister Ferrari.
Lando Norris claimed fifth, leaving the most successful driver in Formula 1 history to start from the third row.
Despite the engine deficit, the veteran racer remains optimistic about rescuing a strong result on race day.
“I don’t know whether we can turn it into a podium, but our race pace has been pretty decent.”
He acknowledged that McLaren have taken a noticeable step forward, aided by a powertrain that is currently outperforming the rest of the grid.
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has openly admitted he is considering an early exit from Formula 1 due to deep frustrations with the sport’s new technical regulations.
The four-time world champion endured a miserable qualifying session at the Japanese Grand Prix on Saturday, managing only 11th place on the grid.
Following the session at Suzuka, the Dutchman provided his strongest indication yet that he could walk away from the paddock.
“There’s a lot of stuff for me personally to figure out,” he said.
Growing disdain for hybrid power
When pressed on his comments, the 28-year-old clarified that he was re-evaluating his “life here” in direct response to the current rulebook.
The reigning champion has been a vocal critic of the latest generation of machinery, which heavily relies on battery power and forces drivers into conservative energy-management driving styles.
This heavy reliance on electrical deployment has proven highly inconsistent, significantly reducing cornering speeds at historically fast circuits like Suzuka.
“I’m not even frustrated anymore. I’m beyond that… I don’t know what to make of it to be honest,” he explained.
Performance clauses and future prospects
Although formally contracted to Red Bull until the end of 2028, the agreement reportedly contains performance-based exit clauses.
One such stipulation is believed to allow the serial race winner to break his contract if he sits outside the top two in the drivers’ championship by the summer break.
Meeting that target currently appears highly unlikely following a dismal start to the campaign.
A sixth-place finish in Melbourne was followed by a point-less weekend in Shanghai, leaving him far down the championship standings even before his struggles in Japan.
While a mid-season departure remains improbable, an exit at the conclusion of the current calendar year is now viewed as a genuine possibility.
Reigning Formula 1 world champion Lando Norris is facing imminent grid penalties at the Japanese Grand Prix after McLaren were forced to fit his final permitted battery pack of the season.
The Briton is only at the third race of a 22-event calendar but has already exhausted his initial allocation of hybrid engine components.
Norris missed the previous race in China due to a terminal failure with his car’s energy store.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella confirmed that the power unit component used in Shanghai cannot be salvaged.
Reliability woes threaten title defence
A further setback occurred at Suzuka on Saturday when engineers detected another fault before final practice and qualifying.
The Woking-based outfit were forced to hastily install a third battery pack to ensure their lead driver could participate in the sessions.
Under current FIA regulations, drivers are restricted to using just three energy stores across the entire campaign.
McLaren race against time for repairs
If the British racer requires a fourth unit between now and December, he will automatically incur a 10-place grid penalty.
Stella explained the team’s predicament and their hopes of avoiding a severe handicap to their championship ambitions.
“The problem we noticed before the start of FP3 was on the same power unit component, the Hertz module, which includes the battery.”
“The only way to remove the pack is to investigate it. Once investigated, we realised that it will take time to attempt a repair.”
Margin for error erased
“We needed to give Lando the possibility to do the session, so we introduced a third battery pack.”
The Italian team boss remains hopeful that the damaged Suzuka unit can be repaired and returned to the pool of available parts.
If the mechanics cannot salvage the component, Norris will be left navigating the remaining 19 races without any technical safety net.
Max Verstappen has labelled his Red Bull “completely undriveable” after suffering a shock Q2 elimination during qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix.
The four-time world champion will start Sunday’s race at Suzuka from 11th on the grid following another difficult session in the 2026 season.
It continues a dismal start to the campaign for the 28-year-old, who has accumulated just eight championship points across the opening two rounds.
Despite safely navigating the first phase, the Dutchman failed to crack the top 10 shootout.
He was ultimately outpaced by far less experienced drivers, including team-mate Isack Hadjar and rookie Arvid Lindblad.
‘Beyond frustrated’ by ongoing struggles
The defending champion vented his anger over the team radio immediately after his elimination was confirmed.
“I think there is something wrong with the car. It’s completely undriveable suddenly in this qualifying.”
His latest setback follows a Q1 crash in Australia and finishes outside the top 10 in both the sprint and feature races in China.
Suzuka has traditionally been a stronghold for the Red Bull talisman, raising hopes of a return to form this weekend.
However, ongoing mechanical mysteries appear to be severely hampering his confidence behind the wheel.
Setup tweaks fail to yield results
Speaking to the media post-session, the seasoned racer admitted he was stuck and unable to push the limits of his machinery.
“We made changes all weekend, but at the same time we also have some problems in the car that we’re trying to fix, and I guess it was worse again in qualifying.”
He noted that the handling became unpredictable whenever he attempted to attack the high-speed corners.
“As soon as you really tried to push, for me it was just all over the place. Really not good, and also really doesn’t give you confidence.”
The former title dominator believes an unidentified issue has developed since the opening round in Melbourne.
“I’m not even frustrated anymore, you know, I’m beyond that.”
Former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya believes four-time world champion Max Verstappen will leave Red Bull to join Mercedes at the end of the current season.
Montoya is convinced that discussions between the 28-year-old and the Silver Arrows are already actively taking place.
The reigning constructors’ champions have endured a difficult start to their campaign, leaving them trailing significantly behind the frontrunners.
This poor form has fuelled intense speculation regarding the Dutch driver’s long-term future with the Milton Keynes-based outfit.
Wolff denies transfer rumours
Despite Montoya’s claims, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has moved to firmly deny any ongoing pursuit of the superstar driver.
Wolff insisted he is perfectly content with his current driver pairing of George Russell and highly-rated rookie Kimi Antonelli.
“Someone said that the Max discussions will eventually come back on the table again, but no, there are not any Max discussions.”
The Austrian executive highlighted that the age gap between Russell and Antonelli aligns perfectly with the team’s long-term strategy.
“I could not be happier with the two drivers that we have.”
Red Bull’s desperate retention bid
Mercedes originally attempted to sign the prodigious talent before his Formula 1 debut, but Red Bull ultimately secured his coveted signature.
Montoya now feels the reigning champions are incredibly vulnerable to losing their prized asset.
“I think Red Bull are in a position where whatever Max wants, they’ll say yes to make sure they don’t lose him.”
The Colombian told Spanish publication AS that a change of scenery is now almost inevitable.
“Now, I actually believe that whatever happens, they’re going to lose him.”
Clear contracts in place
Wolff remains completely resolute that his team’s driver line-up is permanently settled for the foreseeable future.
“The Max to Mercedes thing for now is not on.”
He added that George Russell has been part of their setup since 2017 and sees no reason why that relationship will not continue.
“The situation is completely transparent, and we have clear contracts with both drivers.”
Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso continues to battle severe cockpit vibrations at the Japanese Grand Prix, extending a torrid start to the 2026 Formula 1 season.
The Silverstone-based outfit have struggled immensely with their new AMR26 challenger since the opening race in Australia.
Recent onboard footage from practice sessions indicates the car remains incredibly difficult and physically taxing to handle.
Physical toll and injury fears
Team principal Adrian Newey previously warned that the violent shaking could cause permanent nerve damage to the drivers’ hands.
The veteran Spaniard reportedly felt he could not safely complete more than 25 consecutive laps under such brutal conditions.
His Canadian team-mate, Lance Stroll, faced an even lower threshold of just 15 laps before the discomfort became overwhelming.
Consequently, neither man managed to complete the full 58-lap race distance during the season opener in Melbourne.
Desperate measures in China
Similar reliability and handling issues plagued the British constructor during the subsequent race in Shanghai.
Footage from Alonso’s onboard camera showed the 44-year-old taking his hands off the steering wheel on straight sections simply to find temporary physical relief.
“From lap 20 to 35, I was struggling a little bit to feel my hands and my feet.”
The two-time world champion explained to the media that the shaking was worse than in any previous session.
“We were one lap behind, we were last, and there was probably no point to keep going.”
No quick fix for Honda
Aston Martin and engine supplier Honda have clearly failed to identify the root cause of the problem during the two-week break before Japan.
Fresh footage circulating online from practice starts confirms the violent shuddering remains a significant hurdle.
The ongoing crisis leaves the ambitious racing team facing the grim prospect of another heavily compromised Grand Prix weekend.
Lewis Hamilton is searching for a setup breakthrough with his Ferrari after struggling for pace during Friday practice at the Japanese Grand Prix.
The seven-time world champion finished sixth in both sessions at Suzuka, trailing eight-tenths behind the benchmark set by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
He visibly battled with oversteer throughout the day, a handling issue that also heavily affected his team-mate Charles Leclerc.
During the longer runs towards the end of the second session, the British driver admitted over team radio that he had no confidence in the car.
Seeking a north star for qualifying
Despite the difficult running, the 41-year-old remains optimistic about finding a solution ahead of Saturday’s crucial qualifying session.
He noted similarities in the car’s handling to setup issues he experienced last year, providing a potential direction for overnight engineering changes.
“I feel I’ve got a bit of a north star, it’s just how we get there, so I’m going to try to figure that out,” Hamilton explained.
“It’s an awesome circuit but you need to be able to sit in the rear and be comfortable it will stay with you and today I had the snaps.”
The Ferrari driver confirmed the team will dive deeply into overnight simulator data to close the performance gap to their rivals.
McLaren surprise championship leaders
At the front of the field, McLaren emerged as genuine contenders for pole position to challenge the recently dominant Mercedes team.
Championship leader George Russell finished two-tenths behind Piastri in second practice.
The Mercedes driver, who currently holds a slender four-point championship lead over team-mate Kimi Antonelli, admitted his surprise at McLaren’s blistering pace.
“McLaren were pretty fast, a little bit of a surprise, so we still have some improvements we need to do tonight,” Russell said.
However, it was not a completely smooth day for the Woking-based squad.
Lando Norris was forced to miss 20 crucial minutes of the afternoon session following a costly hydraulics leak.
The British driver conceded the lost track time leaves him on the back foot heading into the remainder of the race weekend.