THE FATHER of the late Jules Bianchi and Formula One drivers have hit out after Pierre Gasly narrowly avoided a serious crash with a tractor on track at the Japanese Grand Prix.
In torrential rain with very limited visibility, the red flag was waved after Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon crashed out on the first lap.
Drivers made their way back to the pits but Gasly, who was at the back of the grid, had a near-miss with a tractor that had emerged out on track to collect Sainz’s Ferrari.
Live speed data showed Gasly doing 200km/h as he approached the tractor, with dash-cam footage from Sainz’s car showing a quick-thinking marshal rushing out of the way and dragging the vehicle across when he sees the Frenchman approaching.
Gasly’s close call evoked memories of the 2014 instalment of the F1 Japanese GP when Bianchi suffered a horrific crash.
Bianchi went off track under double-waved yellow flags before running under a crane vehicle that was taking another car from the track.
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The Frenchman was left with severe brain damage and didn’t regain consciousness, sadly passing in 2015.
His father, Bianchi Snr, hit out on Instagram saying there was “no respect for the life” of Gasly.
He said: “No respect for the life of the driver no respect for Jules memory incredible.”
Gasly fumed, saying he could’ve “killed himself”.
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McLaren’s Lando Norris labelled the incident “unacceptable”.
He tweeted: “Wtf. How’s this happened!? We lost a life in this situation years ago.
“We risk our lives, especially in conditions like this. We wanna race. But this… Unacceptable.”
Red Bull driver Sergio Perez was also quick to reference Bianchi.
He said: “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!”
After a lengthy delay, the conditions improved and Max Verstappen went on to win the race – and his second world title.
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
