Gary Anderson warns F1: “Dangerous rules could lead to fatal consequences”. Gary Anderson warns Formula 1 must urgently change dangerous regulations after Oliver Bearman’s crash.

The accident involving Oliver Bearman has triggered more than one alarm bell regarding safety in Formula 1, raising serious concerns among drivers, engineers, and paddock insiders.

The overtaking concern in F1

In recent weeks, our publication has also taken a closer look at several on-track situations in Formula 1 that are clearly in need of improvement, both in terms of spectacle and, more importantly, safety. First and foremost, qualifying sessions have come under scrutiny, where pushing to the absolute limit can paradoxically become counterproductive for drivers. Attention has also been drawn to overtaking maneuvers influenced by superclipping and the differences in energy deployment and recovery between cars.

This latter aspect, in particular, can generate highly dangerous situations, as highlighted by the drivers themselves and clearly demonstrated in the incident involving Franco Colapinto of Alpine and Oliver Bearman of Haas. The significant speed delta between cars in such scenarios has become a growing concern within the sport.

Formula 1 has scheduled an important meeting in London on April 9, during which the possibility of both immediate and long-term changes to the current regulatory framework will be evaluated, with safety expected to be a central topic of discussion.

Gary Anderson raises concerns

The comments made by Northern Irish designer Gary Anderson – who boasts a long and distinguished career with teams like McLaren, Ensign, Jordan, Stewart, and Jaguar – to the British newspaper The Telegraph perfectly reflect the unease within the paddock regarding the dangers posed by certain racing situations.

Anderson explained: “F1 must change dangerous rules, otherwise there is a risk of fatalities. The FIA must take some responsibility for Bearman’s accident. It was an accident waiting to happen when you have a system that allows two cars with enormously different speeds to be on track at the same time. And I am certain we will see it again. If it had happened during an overtaking move into Turn 1, it would have been like a plane crash – potentially risking fatalities.”

The engineer then offered a broader analysis of the current regulations: “A Grand Prix is no longer a physically exhausting race, and this difference is particularly noticeable at circuits such as Suzuka, Spa, and Silverstone. Watching cars overtake is entertaining, but these are not truly competitive overtakes: there is still a lot of work to be done to make it feel like a real race again.”

Jacques Villeneuve: “A danger that should not exist”

On this type of incident risk, Jacques Villeneuve told Canal+: “In this race at Suzuka, we saw the negative side of the regulations. The track did not lend itself to good overtaking, and we saw the dangerous aspect with the Colapinto episode. He was going extremely slowly, and the speed difference created a danger that should not exist.”