Pierre Gasly almost hit a lifting crane at very high speed at the start of a Japanese F1 Grand Prix disputed in dantesque conditions, this Sunday.
These images raised the specter of the fatal accident to Jules Bianchi on the same Suzuka circuit and in similar conditions, in 2014.
In addition to Gasly, summoned by the race marshals following this event, other pilots protested against the lightness of the organization.
Reviewing the images gives chills.
Pierre Gasly came close to drama this Sunday on the Suzuka track, at the very start of a Japanese Grand Prix immobilized from the third lap due to rain.
When visibility was very limited, the AlphaTauri driver sped past a few meters from an unsignaled lifting crane, which had come to evacuate the damaged Ferrari of Carlos Sainz.
An event that occurred in full confusion – which reigned from the beginning to the end of this GP – when the race had just been neutralized, and the red flag sent all competitors back to the pits.
...#JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/WiUs0iJpcN
– CANAL+ F1® (@CanalplusF1) October 9, 2022
Access to this content has been blocked to respect your choice of consent
By clicking on "
I ACCEPT
", you accept the deposit of cookies by external services and will thus have access to the content of our partners
I ACCEPT
And to better remunerate 20 Minutes, do not hesitate to accept all cookies, even for one day only, via our "I accept for today" button in the banner below.
More information on the Cookie Management Policy page.
The incident was inevitably reminiscent of the terrible collision suffered by Jules Bianchi on the same track in 2014. On an equally wet circuit, the young Frenchman had struck a crane which released Adrian Sutil's F1 car.
He died of his injuries nine months later.
Philippe Bianchi, Jules' father, also reacted on Instagram: "No respect for the life of the pilot, no respect for the memory of Jules.
Unbelievable !
»
"Totally unacceptable" for Sergio Pérez
Gasly spoke in the same tone at the end of a very complicated race for him, if we add this advertising panel that came to fuck up in front of his car at the very start of the race, and his dismal 17th place finish.
It's disrespectful to Jules, to his whole family, to all those who race, "said the Norman on Canal +.
Before continuing: “I am already happy to be alive, that nothing has happened.
This is exactly where Carlos [Sainz] lost the car.
There was no indication.
We've already talked about it a million times, it's the most dangerous thing.
I don't see why we didn't wait a minute for the cars to enter the pits to put the tractor on the track.
»
During the long interruption of a Grand Prix which crowned Max Verstappen double world champion, Gasly's colleagues also expressed their anger on Twitter: "How to make it clear that we no longer want to see a crane on the track?, launched Sergio Pérez, second at Suzuka on his Red Bull.
What happened today is completely unacceptable!
I hope this is the last time I see a crane on the track!
»
Angry pilots, Gasly summoned
“WTF.
How did this happen?, for his part, dropped Lando Norris (McLaren).
We lost a life in this situation a few years ago.
We risk our lives, especially in such conditions.
We want to run.
But this… Unacceptable.
»
Accustomed to cookie-cutter decisions, the race marshals summoned Gasly to ask him for an explanation.
According to them, the latter violated Article 57.2 of the regulations which govern Formula 1, by "going up to 250 km / h" under the red flag regime after crossing the site of Sainz's accident.
“I respected everything that was necessary, reacted the AlphaTauri driver.
They took out the red flag 50 meters before I passed the tractor.
If I jump on the brakes then, there is an even greater chance that I will die today.
Apparently, the marshals have never heard of aquaplaning.
Sport
Formula 1: Pierre Gasly officially joins Alpine to form a 100% French team
Sport
Formula 1: How Verstappen's first title 'transformed' him to get a second
Sport
Auto Moto
Formula 1 (F1)
Pierre Gasly
Japan
Suzuki
Jules Bianchi