Pierre Gasly says he would have died if he hit a tractor (recovery vehicle) that was on the course during the F1 Japan GP race.
Pierre Gasly was well behind the back of the pack behind the safety car as he hit a billboard blown away for Carlos Sainz’s crash and was forced to pit for a new front wing. .
Pierre Gasly, who said he was keeping to the allowed delta lap time while trying to catch up with the group leading the safety car, passed by the tractor when the red flag was shown.
The incident evoked memories of Jules Bianchi crashing into a crane retrieving another F1 car at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix, ultimately causing a fatal crash.
Pierre Gasly handed a 20-second penalty for speeding during a red flag, but recovering Carlos Sainz’s crashed Ferrari with his car while the rest of the F1 field is on track is an unnecessary risk say it was.
Pierre Gasly said: “Eight years ago we lost Jules (Bianchi). In a similar situation, craned on the track in the gravel. Eight years later in the same situation, craned on the racing line instead of the gravel. I don’t understand watching it,” he said after the race.
“There is no respect for Jules, his family, his loved ones and all of us.”
“It was dramatic. I think we learned that day that we don’t want to see a tractor in a situation like this.”
“If I had lost the car like Carlos had on the previous lap…I was going 200km/h, but it doesn’t matter, even if it’s 100km/h, I lose control and lose 12 tons. If I had hit the crane, I would be dead by now.”
“I’m still standing and I can still call my family and loved ones tonight. I’m very grateful nothing happened.”
“But for us drivers, I really hope this is the last chance to see Crane and take unnecessary risks for all of us race drivers.”
Pierre Gasly has attributed the layout of the track where Carlos Sainz Jr. crashed and the conditions that prevented him from seeing the tractor until the last minute.
“It’s winding and you can’t see it very much. The safety car was in, we had a delta lap time to respect and I was nine seconds behind the delta lap time,” said Gasly.
“I was catching up with the line and I could barely see it (the recovery vehicle). When I saw it, I was going 200 kilometers an hour. I tried to slow down erratically because I was going to hit the , I passed 2 meters to the right and today it was 2 meters to death, I think this is unacceptable as a race driver.
Pierre Gasly did not elaborate on what he said to F1 race director Eduardo Freitas during the red flag break, but it is certain that the incident will be discussed in order to make changes in the future.
“A minute later we were all in the pitlane and I think it is unacceptable to risk even a little life,” said Gasly.
“We have delta lap times and we have certain processes that we have to follow during the safety car. I respected that and had a crane on the racing line.”
“Today I was two meters away from my left front tire. Of course it was very scary. The first thing that crossed my mind was… we all suffered from Jules’ accident. he will still be here
“I don’t think I should have risked my life and it’s something we have to talk about. The most important thing is for the future. The dynamics and that we are all safe.I hope no one has to face a similar situation.Hopefully we can learn from this situation in the end.”
Category: F1 / Pierre Guthrie / F1 Japan GP / Alpha Tauri