Carlos Sainz claims that the accident suffered by Ollie Bearman during the Japanese Grand Prix was predictable since the start of the season and that he wants to see measures taken before the next race.
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Bearman went off track approaching the Spoon curves at 308 km/h after trying to avoid Franco Colapinto, whose Alpine car had started to slow down due to “super-clipping”.
The speed difference between the two cars was estimated at 45 km/h, and Bearman lost control on the grass, suffering a 50G impact against the wall, requiring X-rays at the medical center, which turned out to be normal.
Unhappy drivers
GPDA (Grand Prix Drivers Association) Director, Sainz explains that drivers had already warned about the consequences of such an incident on a street circuit and that he is frustrated that Formula 1 and the FIA have so far focused mainly on qualifying performance this season.
“To be honest, I am looking forward to seeing what FOM and the FIA will propose for the new regulations, and I hope we will find something a bit better for Miami, given that the accident with Ollie that we saw today, we had warned them that it was going to happen, Sainz told Sky Sports F1. These kinds of closing speeds and these types of accidents were always going to happen, and I am not very satisfied with what we have had so far. I hope we find a better solution that doesn’t generate these extreme closing speeds and allows for safer racing.”
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Safety before the show?
“I was very surprised when they said: ‘No, we are going to fix qualifying and leave the races as they are, because it’s exciting,’ he says. As drivers, we have been extremely clear: the problem is not just about qualifying, but also the races, and we have always warned that this type of accident was going to happen.”
“Here, we were lucky there was a runoff area, Sainz points out. Now, imagine going to Baku, Singapore, or Las Vegas and having these kinds of closing speeds and accidents near the walls. We, as the GPDA [Grand Prix Drivers Association], have warned the FIA that these accidents would happen often with these regulations, and we need to change something quickly if we don’t want them to happen.”
“We’re talking about 50G, which is higher than my crash in Russia in 2015, where I suffered 46G, he recalls. Imagine the type of accident you could have in Vegas, Baku, Monaco, etc. I hope this serves as an example and that the FIA and FOM listen to the drivers and not just the teams and people who say the races are fine, because the races are not fine. “
Several other drivers refused to comment on the details of Bearman’s crash, not having seen the incident on replay, but shared Sainz’s view that closing speeds are regularly reported as a point of concern.
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