David Coulthard lifts lid on reality of F1 closing speeds after Ollie Bearman's 50G crash

Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard has spoken out about the reality of closing speeds in the championship following Ollie Bearman's massive 50G shunt during the Japanese Grand Prix.

The Haas driver narrowly avoided the rear of Alpine's Franco Colapinto, who was harvesting energy at the time, before crashing into the barriers. While he limped away from the wreck, Bearman was later cleared by the on-site medical team. 

Reflecting on the crash during the Up To Speed podcast, Coulthard drew parallels to a close call of his own involving Fernando Alonso in the late 1990s.

"As an ex-driver, I can feel that closing speed. I had almost an incident with Fernando Alonso way back in, it was probably '98 or '99 at the Nurburgring in Germany where he backed off 20m earlier than the previous lap, and I came this close to hitting him.

"Ended up avoiding [Alonso], going into the gravel out of the grand prix, and I remember going to the stewards afterwards and being exasperated because that could have been an aeroplane crash.

"The closing speeds are the most scary thing for a race driver, and we've seen it a few times in wet weather racing where the driver can't see the car in front. Schumacher on me in Spa back in the day, and I remember Senna in Australia when he was at McLaren.

"So Bearman was very lucky not to hit the back of Colapinto. 50G registered as he hit the barrier and I did a quick little flick through to try and see what that means in real terms to the public and there was a test done back in the late '50s. 

Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

"They were trying to understand, I guess for aviation or for space travel, how much a human could take, and I think there was a test that came out. A human did a deceleration test up to about 80G and survived. 

"They haven't actually done it deliberately beyond that, but I read Kenny Brack, a driver that I'd raced in the beginning of my career, a Swedish driver, went to America, had a crash that was registered at 200G. Now, his career was finished after that point, multiple fractures. But he survived.

"So, I guess the point being it all depends on how that peak of G is taken and whether the car keeps moving or not. I think for Ollie, it was a sudden stop, and you can see he hit his legs together, limped out of the car. Thankfully, no injuries, but that has to be a big talking point."

The FIA is meeting during the unexpected April break to discuss potential adjustments to the new regulations.