Oscar Piastri's brutal remark in cooldown room after seeing Ollie Bearman crash

Oscar Piastri summed up the feelings of several F1 drivers when he watched Ollie Bearman's high-speed Japanese Grand Prix crash in the post-race cooldown room.

Bearman suffered a 50G crash into the barriers on lap 24 after losing control of his Haas.

The Brit had been closing in on Franco Colapinto at a speed difference of around 50mph heading into turn 13 - one of the consequences of the new super-clipping phenomenon that is causing cars to decelerate when harvesting battery power.

Bearman therefore had little other option but to swerve to avoid crashing into the back of the Alpine, but that forced him to take to the grass and he span into the barrier.

The safety car was deployed and there was immediate concern for Bearman, who limped away from his Haas and was in visible pain.

Here’s the moment Bearman went into the barriers at Spoon #F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/XmurXApWkp

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 29, 2026

Fortunately for the Brit, who had scored 17 points in the opening two rounds, tests showed no fractures and he released a video statement confirming that 'everything is okay'.

Race winner Kimi Antonelli, second-placed Piastri and third-placed Charles Leclerc saw the crash for the first time in the cooldown room.

Piastri winced at the impact, before then turning to Leclerc and stating: "I finally see what you mean now about the mushroom."

The 'mushroom' reference goes back to drivers comparing the new regulations to Mario Kart, given the sudden burst of extra energy and speed that is caused by activating the battery's 'overtake mode'.

Drivers had warned before the Grand Prix that the scenario, coupled with the super-clipping, could eventually cause a scary accident.

Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso had said: "Overtaking these days is accidental.

"Suddenly you find yourself with a higher battery than the car in front, and you either crash into them or you overtake them.

"It's an evasive manoeuvre, not an overtake."

And Williams driver Carlos Sainz told Spanish reporters post-race: "Bearman's accident was just a matter of time. I hope the FIA reconsiders this. There are loopholes."

Following the Japanese Grand Prix, the FIA have announced that a series of meetings are planned in April to 'assess the operation of the new regulations and to determine whether any refinements are required'.

"At this stage, any speculation regarding the nature of potential changes would be premature," the statement added.