Oliver Bearman reveals which regulation change he would most like to implement immediately if he were the FIA. It was the Haas driver’s heavy crash that set the ball rolling and led the governing body to decide to hold several meetings during the spring break about the 2026 regulations. Bearman himself particularly hopes for a change for qualifying: ‘I would like to abolish ‘lift and coast‘.’
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Oliver Bearman startled the entire paddock in Japan with his heavy crash during the Grand Prix at Suzuka. The Haas driver approached Franco Colapinto at Suzuka with a much higher closing speed, forcing him to swerve for the Argentinian. He then spun on the grass before coming to a halt in the barriers. Bearman’s speed was so much higher because Colapinto was charging his battery at that moment. Following the incident, the FIA decided to hold a series of meetings in April.
In the Up To Speed podcast, Bearman reveals which regulation change he would implement if he were the governing body. “I don’t think we need to turn everything upside down; it’s just about a few small adjustments,” he explained. The driver agrees with, among others, Toto Wolff. The Mercedes driver had previously called for only subtle adjustments from the FIA.
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Abolishing ‘lift and coast’
“I would like to abolish ‘lift and coast’,” Bearman continues. “I think it would be great if we could utilize this at minus 350 kW, something we currently cannot do at full throttle. We can only reach minus 250.” The Brit then hopes that the FIA abolishes ‘lift and coast’ for both qualifying and the race. “Imagine a qualifying lap and you’re halfway down the straight, and you lift off the throttle. I mean, it’s super strange. So if we can abolish that, I think everyone agrees that we want a full-speed qualifying, and that’s not the case right now. So if we can do that, that would be fantastic.”
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem had already indicated before Monday’s most important meeting on the regulation changes that he had listened to the drivers. “I am pleased to report that constructive and collaborative discussions have taken place between the FIA and the Formula 1 drivers,” Ben Sulayem said in a statement. “The drivers have provided valuable input on adjustments they believe are necessary, particularly in the area of energy management, to ensure safe, fair, and competitive races.” The meeting itself will take place on Monday afternoon, April 20.
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