During the break in racing in the Japanese GP, the first pilots tweeted: Unbelievable that a recovery vehicle appeared right next to the race track! The racing drivers denounce the world autosport association FIA.
A recovery vehicle next to the race track while Formula 1 cars race past – that’s just not possible. While the Japanese Grand Prix was red flagged (after Carlos Sainz’s accident Accident by Carlos Sainz) pilots like Sergio Pérez or Lando Norris tweeted indignantly how something like this can happen. Pierre Gasly was reminded of Jules Bianchi’s serious accident in Suzuka in 2014 and was hard to calm down.
After the checkered flag fell, pilots like George Russell, Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso and Lando Norris spoke plainly.
Russell (with Vettel one of the directors of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association) says: “That was exactly one of those situations that we brought to the table in our meeting with race officials. Because we already had a recovery vehicle dangerously close in Singapore when Yuki Tsunoda’s car had to be taken away.”
“We said very clearly: we don’t want to see anything like that anymore. And now this! It is quite disappointing that nothing seems to have been learned here. We need to speak to the FIA officials. As long as we are on the track, no recovery vehicles are allowed to appear next to the track, basta.”
The Englishman continues: “We simply cannot take such a risk anymore. People must not forget that even behind a safety car, one of the cars can slip out of control. Safety must come first.”
Sebastian Vettel calls the scene “unacceptable. We had a tragic accident eight years ago in which Jules Bianchi lost his life. I don’t know how something like this can happen again.”
Fernando Alonso: «After 2014, everyone agreed – something like this must never happen again. But now it happened. That’s hard to digest. We demand a comprehensive explanation of what exactly happened here.”
Lando Norris: «Back then, a person had to lose their life in order to learn something. But apparently we haven’t learned anything. Our lives were played with there. And that must not be. What’s so difficult about following a simple sequence? No more Formula 1 cars on the track, only then go with the recovery vehicle, not before! That’s easy. I don’t understand how that could have happened.”
Japan-GP, Suzuka
01. Max Verstappen (NL), Red Bull Racing, 3:01:44,004 h
02. Sergio Perez (MEX), Red Bull Racing, +27.066sec
03. Charles Leclerc (MC), Ferrari, +31,763
04. Esteban Ocon (F), Alpine, +39,685
05. Lewis Hamilton (GB), Mercedes, +40,326
06. Sebastian Vettel (D), Aston Martin, +46,358
07. Fernando Alonso (L), Alpine, +46,369
08. George Russell (GB), Mercedes, +47,661
09. Nicholas Latifi (CDN), Williams, +70,143
10. Lando Norris (GB), McLaren, +70.782
11. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS), McLaren, +72,877
12. Lance Stroll (CDN), Aston Martin, +73,904
13. Yuki Tsunoda (J), AlphaTauri, +75,599
14. Kevin Magnussen (DK), Haas, +86.016
15. Valtteri Bottas (FIN), Alfa Romeo, +86,496
16. Guanyu Zhou (RC), Alfa Romeo, +87,043
17. Mick Schumacher (D), Haas, +92,523
18. Pierre Gasly (F), AlphaTauri, +108,091
Out
Alex Albon (T), Williams, Hydraulikdefekt
Carlos Sainz (E), Ferrari, accident
Championship status (after 18 of 22 races)
driver
01. Verstappen 366 points
02. Pérez 253
03. Leclerc 252
04. Russell 207
05. Sainz 202
06. Hamilton 180
07. Norris 101
08. Ocon 78
09. Alonso 65
10. Bottas 46
11. Vettel 32
12. Ricciardo 29
13. Gasly 23
14. Magnussen 22
15. Stroll 13
16. Schumacher 12
17. Tsunoda 11
18. Zhou 6
19. Albon 4
20. Latif 2
21. DeVries 2
22. Nico Hülkenberg (D) 0
Constructors’ Cup
01. Red Bull Racing 619 Punkte
02. Ferrari 454
03. Mercedes 387
04. Alpine 143
05. McLaren 130
06. Alfa Romeo 52
07. Aston Martin 45
08. Haas 34
09. AlphaTauri 34
10. Williams 8