There was anger at this morning's F1 Japanese Grand Prix after Pierre Gasly came close to hitting a tractor which was on the track in foggy conditions.
The vehicle had been brought out near the start of the race to remove Carlos Sainz's car, with footage showing just how close Gasly was to hitting a Marshal and the tractor.
Gasly was furious on his team radio, given the high-level of danger involved: "What is this tractor? What is this tractor on track? I passed next to it. This is unacceptable. What has happened? Can't believe this."
It brought back memories of the late Jules Bianchi, who crashed into a recovery tractor on the same track during the 2014 F1 Japanese Grand Prix, which resulted in the young driver's death.
Near Miss For Pierre Gasly
The onboard video of Gasly passing the recovery vehicle is terrifying. Something needs to change. pic.twitter.com/ldwszWgG9K
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) October 9, 2022
The moment Gasly goes past Sainz car, there is even a Marshall out on track as well as this tractor. #F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/UjwkNnqDjJ
— Mohsin (@MB07__) October 9, 2022
READ HERE: Lando Norris And Max Verstappen Have Scary Near Miss In Japanese GP Qualifying
After the race, the comments from Pierre Gasly showed just how serious the incident was, and the emotional toll it took on him: "I could have killed myself.
"Obviously I got scared. if I had lost the car the way Carlos lost it, it doesn't matter the speed 200, 100..... I would have died. Tonight I am going to call all my family and loved ones."
Fellow driver, George Russell, was also angered by the incident: "It's not the Pierre Gasly incident, it's the incident of the FIA bringing the tractor on the track. "It's totally unacceptable in any condition or circumstances."
Gasly then took to Twitter to vent his frustrations: "Glad to go home safe tonight. For the respect of Jules, all his family and for our safety and the one of the marshals, there should never be any tractor nor marshals on track in such conditions with such poor visibility. Period."
F1 ones fans were also deeply angered by the situation, and questioned how the FIA [Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile] allowed a tractor and marshal to be on the track in such wet and foggy conditions. The organisation have since announced that it will be conducting a full review into the situation.
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