'This is unacceptable' - Pierre Gasly and Formula 1 stars fume after tractor allowed on track
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Updated 09/10/2022 at 08:51 GMT
Pierre Gasly was scarily close to a high-speed collision with a recovery vehicle at the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka under red flag conditions, recalling the incident in 2014 which caused the death of Jules Bianchi. In dreadful conditions that reduced visibility, drivers complained that a dangerous situation had happened again, with Lando Norris and Sergio Perez among those to hit out.
Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri) - GP of Japan 2022
Image credit: Getty Images
A host of F1 stars have slammed the FIA for allowing a tractor on track at the Japanese Grand Prix, prompting a near-miss with Pierre Gasly.
Sunday's race started in extremely wet conditions and Carlos Sainz quickly spun out.
A tractor was on the track shortly after as Sainz’s Ferrari needed to be removed from the circuit, with double yellow flags soon upgraded to a red flag.
On-board footage suggested AlphaTauri’s Gasly had little time to react to the red flag before he encountered the tractor, fortunately swinging past it up the inside at speed in terrible visibility.
Speaking with his team on the pit wall afterwards, Gasly scolded: "I could have killed myself. there’s a f****** tractor, I’m driving flat out."
Gasly had earlier fumed on the team radio: "What is this tractor on track? I passed next to it… this is unacceptable. I can’t believe this."
He was summoned to the stewards over the near-miss, with the summons saying Gasly was driving at "speeds of up to 250 km/h when completing the lap under the red flag after passing the scene of the incident".
His impatient approach to speed was due to having pitted after an advertising hoarding hit him following Sainz’s accident, and after pitting he was attempt to rejoin the pack.
In wet conditions the spray brought up by other vehicles exacerbated the poor visibility, and questions were quickly raised over the reason for having a tractor out when there was little chance to see it easily.
Red Bull chief Christian Horner has called for a full investigation, while McLaren driver Lando Norris slammed the decision to allow the tractor out while drivers were on track. Norris referenced the tragic death of Jules Bianche, who died after colliding with a recovery vehicle in wet conditions at Suzuka in 2014.
"How’s this happened!? We lost a life in this situation years ago," said Norris on social media.
"We risk our lives, especially in conditions like this. We wanna race. But this… Unacceptable."
Speaking after the red flag, Williams driver Alex Albon levelled criticism at race organisers rather than Gasly, although others have suggested that the problem was caused by his failure to slow down.
“It is really dangerous, and maybe the FIA don't realise that,” he told Sky Sports.
He added: “I don’t even understand why went racing to begin with.”
Former world champion Jenson Button said on Sky Sports: “There never should be a tractor on track.” However he acknowledged that Gasly might ultimately concede that he should have reduced his speed.
Tensions may have been high because the incident recalls the death of Bianchi when driving for the Marussia team in 2014 at the same circuit.
As a vehicle was removing another car, the Frenchman collided with the recovery vehicle and suffered extensive brain damage, and he died the following year. The death is the last to have occurred in Formula 1 and brought in several changes to recovery vehicle practice for 2015 and beyond.
Sergio Perez later joined the chorus of dismay, branding it "totally unacceptable".
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