The crashes F1 is trying to prevent may be rare – but the danger is obvious

In the moment Oliver Bearman swerved onto the grass at 308kph to avoid running into the rear of Franco Colapinto’s Alpine at Suzuka, he knew he was heading for a heavy impact.

But he likely spared himself a much worse crash. Had the Haas made contact with the Alpine the difference in closing speed could have caused a huge crash.

That obvious fact has alerted Formula 1 to the warnings drivers made before the season began and since Bearman’s crash about the dangers arising from the speed differences created by the new power units when drivers are fighting for position. Today F1 will hold its second meeting to discuss potential technical solutions it may introduce before the championship resumes in Miami next month.

Crashes are an inevitable part of racing and drivers understand the risks involved. But some types of accidents are more dangerous than others.

Failed brakes, stuck throttles or collapsed wings can send a car hurtling towards a barrier at speed. When wheels tangle, cars can be flipped into the air.

But when a front wheel runs into a rear wheel – or a nose strikes a rear wheel – the risk is arguably even higher. This can launch a car into the air, meaning not only does it fail to slow down, but it is at risk of clearing a barrier or hitting some other structure.

Crashes of this type are, thankfully, seldom seen in modern single-seater racing, particularly in F1. That is partly thanks to the skill and experience of the drivers at the top flight, but also because the closing speeds between F1 cars – even in the DRS era – has not tended to be that great.

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In recent cases of a driver being caught out by a driver unexpectedly slowing in front of them – such as Bearman with Colapinto, or George Russell with Fernando Alonso two years ago – they avoided hitting the car ahead, but still had major crashes. There is an obvious danger the next driver in the same position may not be so fortunate. These examples from other series in recent years highlight the risks involved and illustrate why the FIA is striving to find solutions.

Note: The videos below include footage of crashes in which some drivers were injured, some seriously

Giovanni Tedeschi: Formula Renault 3.5 Zolder, 2005

Giovanni Tedeschi’s crash at Zolder in 2005 shows the difficulties of containing a crash when a car becomes airborne. His Formula Renault 3.5 car landed on top of a barrier after he collided with Matteo Meneghello at Zolder’s Bolderberbocht, causing the race to be red-flagged.

Salvador Duran: Formula Renault 3.5 Estoril, 2008

Three years later in the same series Salvador Duran cleared a barrier completely at turn one in Estoril after he hit the rear of Fairuz Fauzy’s car.

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Marco Bonanomi: Formula Renault 3.5 Circuit de Catalunya, 2008

Marco Bonanomi had one of the luckiest escapes of all in the same championship at the end of the year when he hit Mikhail Aleshin’s car on the pit straight at the Circuit de Catalunya, home of the Spanish Grand Prix. His car struck the timing tower near the pit exit in a shocking crash which could easily have had appalling consequences. Incredibly, he suffered only light injuries.

Chris van der Drift: Superleague Formula Brands Hatch, 2010

Two years later Chris van der Drift suffered a similar crash with worse consequences at Brands Hatch during a Superleague Formula race. His car was launched after he hit Julien Jousse and struck the bridge on the Hawthorn straight.

The impact was measured at an enormous 210G, making it one of the biggest crashes any driver has survived. Van der Drift suffered two breaks to his right ankle, two broken ribs, a cracked shoulder blade and dislocated shoulder and injuries to two of his fingers.

Gustavo Menezes: European Formula Three Spa-Francorchamps, 2015

In the pre-halo years, drivers were more vulnerable in such situations, as Gustavo Menezes discovered in his horror crash at Spa-Francorchamps following contact with Brandon Maisano. His roll hoop collapsed after sustaining multiple hits and the car came to a rest pressing down on his crash helmet. On his radio, Menezes urgently called for his car to be righted due to the weight of his chassis on his head.

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RC Enerson, Indy Lights Toronto, 2015

Two of F1’s next three rounds will take place at street circuits. RC Enerson’s 2015 crash at Toronto illustrates the added risks of such a crash at a temporary circuit. He was fortunate to avoid the bridge at the braking zone, on a stretch of track where a similar crash claimed the lives of Jeff Krosnoff and a marshal during the 1996 CART IndyCar race.

Josef Kral: GP2 Valencia Street Circuit, 2010

Josef Kral missed half of the 2010 GP2 (now Formula 2) season when he fractured two vertebrae in this crash in the street circuit at Valencia. One of the few recent comparable Formula 1 crashes occured in the very same event when Mark Webber was launched into the air by contact with Heikki Kovalainen.

Hirokazu Nagaya, Formula Dream Suzuka, 2002

Hirokazu Nagaya’s awful crash in a Formula Dream support race at the Japanese Grand Prix in 2002 shows how close Bearman and Colapinto came to disaster. He suffered paralysis after his car was launched over a barrier at the same corner, Spoon curve.

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Crashes like these have been rare in recent years, extremely so in F1. But while the risk of them was small before, they have clearly increased this year, which is why the drivers’ warnings have been so grave.

While the danger of a high closing speed crash is not the only problem identified with the new rules, it’s clear to see why drivers regard it as the greatest concern.

“From a regulations point of view, the biggest priority is safety which everyone is in agreement on, especially after what we saw in Japan,” said Liam Lawson yesterday. “We want to avoid situations like that going forward.”

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