Pierre Gasly says he was ‘two metres away from passing away’ after nearly colliding with a tractor on track… as George Russell blames organisers claiming ‘we lost Jules Bianchi eight years ago in similar conditions’
- Pierre Gasly narrowly avoided collision with a recovery vehicle on track
- The vehicle had been brought on after a pair of lap one crashes at Suzuka
- Gasly was driving at 155mph when he narrowly avoided a heavy collision
- George Russell blamed organisers for putting Gasly in a situation of danger
- Gasly was given a 20 second penalty as well as handed two penalty points
An emotional Pierre Gasly believes he was ‘two metres away from passing away’ having been left ‘extremely scared’ and fearing for his life because of a near-miss with a recovery truck on track at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Gasly was at the back of the grid having started in the pit-lane and despite the treacherous conditions following a pre-race downpour, he tried to close the distance to the safety car, which had been brought out due to lap one crashes for Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon.
The AlphaTauri driver was driving at a speed of 155mph when he narrowly avoided a collision with a recovery truck that had found its way onto the track before all drivers were back in the pit-lane, leaving Gasly both terrified and enraged, particularly given the similarities to the 2014 crash in Japan that would go on to cost Jules Bianchi his life.
AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly came perilously close to a serious incident with a tractor
Live speed data showed Gasly doing 200 km/h as he approached the tractor in a moment that he hit out at race stewards as ‘unacceptable’ and claimed he ‘could have killed himself’
The incident brought back memories of Jules Bianchi’s fatal crash involving a recovery vehicle which took place at the very same circuit back in 2014
‘I tried to slow down, not in an erratic manner, because if I slammed the brake, I would have lost the car and ended up in the crane,’ Gasly said.
‘I was two metres away from passing away today, which isn’t acceptable as a racing driver.’
He added: ‘We were all in the pit-lane one minute later. Risking my life for one minute? I don’t think it is acceptable.
‘There was a crane on the racing line. It was two metres away from my front left tyre. I was extremely scared.’
Bianchi was also caught in the wet weather in Japan when he went off track and under a crane, leading to serious brain damage that cost him his life in 2015.
‘We all suffered from Jules’ accident,’ Gasly continued. ‘If we could go back and change the situation on that day, he would still be here.
Gasly was handed a 20 second penalty post-race as well as given two penalty points on his super license for reaching speeds of 155mph
‘For the future, what I want is for all my colleagues to be safe, in F1 and younger categories. Hopefully we can finally learn from this situation.’
The Frenchman was penalised by the FIA after the race despite his protestations that blame lay with race control for allowing the tractor onto the track in the first place.
Gasly was found to have breached Article 57.2 of the Sporting Regulations which state that cars should return slowly to the pit-lane in event of a red-flag.
It was determined that Gasly reached speeds of up to 251km/h – 155mph.
Having been summoned to stewards, Gasly is said to have ‘conceded that there could have been marshals or obstacles on track and admitted that he was too fast.’
He was slapped with a drive-through penalty – which has been converted to 20 seconds added to his race-time, knocking him from 17th to 18th.
Gasly also received two penalty points on his super licence, taking his 12-month tally to nine.
George Russell has backed Gasly and put the blame on organisers and race control saying no driver wants to see tractors in those conditions
For Mercedes’ George Russell, though, the blame lay with organisers and race control for even putting Gasly in a position for tragedy.
‘We lost Jules eight years ago in similar conditions, with a crane on track in the gravel. I don’t understand how eight years later, in similar conditions, we can see a crane. Not even in the gravel, on the racing line!’ He said.
‘It is not respectful to Jules, his family or his loved ones, or all of us.
‘It was a dramatic incident. On that day we learned that we don’t want to see tractors in these conditions.
‘If I lost the car in the same way that Carlos lost his car on the lap before? I was doing 200kph, but even at 100kph, it’s a 12 tonnes crane. If I hit it, I would be dead right now.
‘I am extremely grateful that I am still standing. Still able to call my family, my loved ones, and nothing happened. For all us drivers – I hope this is the last time we see a crane.’
