Emotional Gasly remembers Bianchi: “I was two metres from dying today”
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A chaotic start at Suzuka resulted in a red flag when Carlos Sainz ed on the first lap, but in dangerously wet conditions Gasly then drove narrowly passed a recovery vehicle which was on the track.He later fumed to his AlphaTauri team – and afterwards remembered how fellow Frenchman Jules Bianchi died after an accident in similar circumstances at the same track in 2014.Full race results from F1 2022 Japanese Grand Prix Gasly explained: “We started last so the visibility was extremely poor. Carlos aquaplaned in Turn 12, lost control of the car, and went out.“As a consequence there was a board that I could not really see. I could not see where I was going so I boxed.“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!“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.” Pierre Gasly: “If I lost the car… I would be dead right now”“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.Related Jules Bianchi’s father fumes at FIA: “No respect for the life of the driver” ‘I could have killed myself’: Gasly fumes – and summoned – over tractor incident“For all us drivers – I hope this is the last time we see a crane.”Gasly was investigated by stewards for the incident but explained: “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.“I was two metres away from passing away today, which isn’t acceptable as a racing driver.“We were all in the pitlane 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.“We all suffered from Jules’ accident. If we could go back and change the situation on that day, he would still be here.“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.”A shortened race was won by Max Verstappen who clinched his second consecutive F1 championship in the process.Verstappen wins F1 2022 title: The defining moments
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