On the third lap of the Japanese Grand Prix, catching up with the peloton after a visit to the pits, Carlos Sainz suddenly saw a tractor standing motionless right on the track, which had come to evacuate Carlos Sainz’s car. And it happened on the track where, eight years ago, Jules Bianchi suffered serious head injuries after crashing into a tractor evacuating another car.
Following the incident, the FIA released a short statement: “As for the incident on lap three, it occurred after the safety car had left and the race was neutralized. Conditions deteriorated and the red flag was shown before the driver of car #10 passed the scene of the accident that damaged his car on the last lap.
“What is this tractor on the track? I drove next to him. This is unacceptable. Remember what happened. I can’t believe it,” Gasly told the engineer.
Alex Wurz, director of the GPDA riders’ union, said: “I think we need to talk about bringing a tractor to the track. This shouldn’t have happened.”
Tractor run out incident will be investigated after the race.