Martin Brundle claims F1 drivers are ‘fourth in line’ amid safety concerns

Martin Brundle believes Formula 1 drivers are “fourth in line” when it comes to the priorities of governing body the FIA.

Ollie Bearman’s frightening 191mph crash at the Japanese Grand Prix has brought safety back into the spotlight, highlighting concerns drivers expressed and predicted regarding dramatic closing speed differences as a result of F1’s new power unit rules for 2026.

While Bearman escaped the 50G impact with only bruising to his right knee, drivers have called on F1’s rule-makers to tweak the regulations on safety grounds to avoid further big accidents.

Former F1 driver turned pundit Brundle reckons fans are the “top priority” when it comes to safety.

“It's a big issue for the FIA because its driver safety is sacrosanct. I think they're fourth in line in terms of priorities,” Brundle told the Sky Sports F1 Show.

"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 are 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 up, for me, are the pitstop crew in terms of priorities. 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 they've put that in writing through the Grand Prix Drivers' Association as well. So, 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.

"So, they will now have to do something and listen to the drivers. But we're hamstrung. We've got a motor that turns out three times its electrical power compared to last year, and the battery depletes in any given decent straight.

"We're between a rock and a hard place really on this because the hardware is just not up to it. And we've talked about this for three years now. We knew it was going to be like this. This is fundamentally flawed, but I think they should be able to smooth some of these elements out.”

F1 teams and the FIA committed to making tweaks to address concerns about the 2026 rules in a first technical meeting on Thursday.

A statement issued by the FIA reported “constructive dialogue” regarding potential changes to the rules and outlined a timeline for decisions to be made.