Japanese Grand Prix: Drivers and teams express anger over recovery vehicle incident at Suzuka
Formula 1 drivers and team principals condemned race officials for putting a recovery vehicle on track in wet conditions at the Japanese Grand Prix.
All called the decision “unacceptable”, in the context of the death of Jules Bianchi following an incident in the same race eight years ago.
Bianchi suffered fatal head injuries when he hit a tractor on the circuit.
“Wtf. How’s this happened!? We lost a life in this situation years ago,” McLaren driver Lando Norris said.
“We risk our lives, especially in conditions like this. We wanna race. But this… Unacceptable.”
Alex Wurz, the chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, said: “We need to discuss a tractor on track… We can keep it short: this must not happen, guys.”
The race had been suspended and the cars were running behind the safety car before the recovery vehicle was released on to the track to recover Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari, which had crashed after the hairpin.
But the drivers felt that because the track was so slippery, the lorry should not have been out.
Alpha Tauri’s Pierre Gasly was still driving at high speed to catch up with the back of the pack after a pit stop at the end of the first lap to repair damage caused by the Frenchman hitting an advertising hoarding dislodged by Sainz’s car.
Gasly is under investigation for speeding under red flag conditions – officials said he was going more than 250km/h when completing a lap after the race had been stopped.
However, the red flag was shown only a second or two before Gasly passed the lorry.
The FIA has not responded to questions as to whether the deployment of the recovery vehicle will be investigated.
Gasly said over the team radio: “What is this tractor on track? I passed next to it. This is unacceptable. Remember what has happened. Can’t believe this.”
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said: “It is totally unacceptable. We lost Jules Bianchi here and that should never, ever happen, so there needs to be a full investigation as to why there was a recovery vehicle on the circuit.
“Checo [Sergio Perez] reported it to us and in those horrendous conditions where visibility was zero, extremely dangerous.”
Perez said on social media: “How can we make it clear that we never want to see a crane on track? We lost Jules because of that mistake. What happened today is totally unacceptable! I hope this is the last time ever I see a crane on track!”
And Bianchi’s father Philippe wrote on Instagram: “No respect for the life of the driver, no respect for Jules’ memory. Incredible.”
