An on-track close call involving Haas rookie Oliver Bearman has become the catalyst for Formula 1's governing body to accelerate discussions on reworking the sport's contentious 2026 power unit regulations, with commentators arguing the incident has validated Max Verstappen's long-standing public criticism of the new formula.
The 2026 rules package introduced a 50/50 split between internal combustion and electrical energy, a change that drivers quickly flagged for creating unpredictable speed variations as cars cycled through deployment and harvest phases. Those warnings intensified after a near-miss involving Bearman exposed the real-world danger of the phenomenon.
A commentator on the Formula 1 Fanatics show argued that Verstappen's public concerns, long dismissed in some quarters as political manoeuvring, had been vindicated by the incident.
"seems like he's justified because the FIA now is has had an emergency meeting after Oliver Beerman could have got his ass paralyzed because of the speed differentials, which is because these cars are now controlled by um algorithms rather than real drivers," the host said.
The comment echoes a criticism that has become widespread across the paddock in recent weeks: that drivers are no longer in full command of the car's pace on a given straight because the power unit and battery management systems make deployment choices on their behalf. Cars running in clean air and cars cycling through a harvest phase can end up separated by a significant speed delta, creating the conditions for heavy impacts in braking zones and braking-into-corner situations.
The practical proposal now under consideration, according to the show's presenter, is to shift the split away from the 50/50 balance toward something closer to 60/40 in favour of the internal combustion engine. That would reduce the scale of the swings drivers currently encounter when battery energy runs low on a long straight.
"So, it took for something like this to happen to to Beerman for them to say that maybe they'll change it from a 50/50 split to a 60/40 split," the host added, noting with frustration that a driver safety scare was required to force the hand of regulators.
For some observers a power unit rebalance does not go far enough. The Fanatics presenter argued that Formula 1 should confront the deeper philosophical question of how much control the algorithms should have in the first place.
"To be honest with you, they need to phase out this algorithm thing. um the the the IC electrical thing," the host said.
That position aligns with Verstappen's view, and with comments made by drivers including Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc in recent weeks about the sense that the cars are compensating for, or overriding, driver inputs. The FIA has publicly stated it is reviewing the regulation package ahead of the next technical working group, though any mid-season change to the split would require unanimous or supermajority approval from the manufacturers currently committed to the formula.
With Bearman emerging unharmed, the governing body now has the breathing room to negotiate. What the Fanatics commentator and a growing chorus of drivers are arguing, however, is that F1 should not require another such scare before the 2026 formula is brought back toward something the drivers themselves recognise as racing.
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*Originally published on [Formula One News](https://newsformula.one/article/bearman-near-miss-fia-emergency-2026-power-unit-split). Visit for full coverage.*