Mika Hakkinen is concerned about the Suzuka circuit safety errors; one of them even immensely scared Pierre Gasly as a tractor stood in his way.
The Japanese Grand Prix was chaotic due to the rain hampering most of the weekend, especially Sunday when the race happens. However, on a safety level, too, it was a disaster.
Pierre Gasly became a big talking point after he passed by a tractor right in his way on the track amidst poor visibility. The visual made the fans feel a chill in their spine, who are aware of Jules Bianchi’s tragic accident at the same venue in 2014.
Gasly was aghast when he returned to the pitlane during the race suspension because of the red flag. The safety contingent and marshals were heavily criticized for carelessness and communication gap.
“I could have killed myself, why is there a tractor out there?!” Pierre Gasly is rightly furious #F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/Xg2QCahr60
— Sam Sage (@samuelsagef1) October 9, 2022
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Mika Hakkinen empathizes with Pierre Gasly
The former F1 champion Mika Hakkinen talks about how Gasly was at a high vulnerability when he saw the tractor. He backs the Frenchman by saying that drivers tend to get distracted by such things and could end up worse if precautions aren’t taken.
“What happened on Sunday is a concern because it was clear that Pierre got a big shock when he saw a truck on the circuit,” wrote Hakkinen on Unibet.
“It is easy for a driver to for a driver to be distracted, not see a signal or not realise what is happening, particularly in conditions of poor visibility.”
AlphaTauri star already thought his life was over
Meanwhile, Gasly was heavily vocal about what happened during the initial few laps of the race. He thought he’d be dead when he saw a tractor in his vicinity and was strangely parked on the racing line.
And Gasly was not the only driver who passed the crane. Even Max Verstappen crossed the massive vehicle while following the safety car before going to the pitlane under the red flag.
The Dutchman claims he had good visibility, so it wasn’t a big threat to him. However, he agrees that he was worried about the drivers behind him.
Apart from Verstappen, several other F1 drivers spoke against the reckless actions of Japanese officials. The FIA promised to investigate the matter and make things safer for the drivers.
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