Oliver Bearman’s crash at the Japanese Grand Prix has raised questions about driver safety, but Martin Brundle is concerned what the FIA are considering a priority.

Bearman’s 50G crash at Suzuka caused panic among all drivers in Formula One, as many felt the new regulations created the circumstances for the incident.

Even F1 fans slammed the new regulations in the immediate aftermath, as the Haas driver’s collision provided incontrovertible proof that the FIA had made a mistake.

Will Buxton called the incident a warning shot for officials, as they must now take the safety of drivers and their concerns seriously.

But Martin Brundle is a lot more sceptical about the matter, and believes officials have greater priorities than the safety of the drivers.

Martin Brundle suggests FIA has not prioritised driver safety with new regulations

Speaking on Sky Sports’ F1 show, Martin Brundle spoke about Oliver Bearman’s crash and how the FIA is going to respond to these concerns.

Brundle claimed that the FIA have prioritised the fans, the marshals, and the pitstop crew far more than the drivers.

“It’s a big issue for the FIA. Driver safety is sacrosanct, of course. But I think they’re fourth in line in terms of priorities. The top priority is the fans because they’re paying to be there. They haven’t bought into any element of risk. And they have to be protected.

“Next up is the marshals, the corner workers, because they’re not being paid to be there, but they assume an element of risk because they’re trackside. Next are the pitstop crew. And finally, the drivers.

“The cars are pretty safe. Everybody’s health and safety is sacrosanct, but the FIA will now have to make a change for Miami because the drivers have voiced this. It’s very much out there. I would be pretty certain that they’ve put that in writing through the Grand Prix drivers’ association as well.

“If a car flies into the crowd now and they haven’t done something, shown some due diligence on this, then the FIA will be in for the high jump. They will not have to do something, listen to the drivers and take away some of it…”

David Croft says drivers need more control in new regulations

David Croft added to Brundle’s comments, noting that the crash from Bearman was the latest sign that the battery aspect of the regulations is causing a lot of issues.

“On the safety side, absolutely. We have to be as safe as we possibly can. It wasn’t the first time we’ve seen quite a drastic closing speed with these new regulations. Franco Colapinto in Australia along the main straight. George Russell had it in the race as well.

“Why is one miss off the downshift or one lift of the throttle affecting the battery deployment so much? It’s massively counterintuitive to me that the drivers are having to be told by their engineers where to deploy at best, or the batteries are just doing it themselves.

“With all this battery power, why isn’t everything in the hands of the drivers? Let the drivers do it themselves rather than having to override an engine system or listen to what their engineers are saying. We want the drivers to be heroes.”

Several drivers complained after Bearman’s crash about the new regulations. If the FIA do not take their concerns seriously, we could face a very toxic situation in the sport.

Having most, if not all, drivers on the grid unhappy about the conditions under which they have to race is going to cause a lot of backlash and raise questions about the future of Formula One.