Red Bull chief Christian Horner has demanded a full investigation by the FIA into why a tractor recovery vehicle was allowed on the track at the Japanese Grand Prix in a scary incident for Pierre Gasly.
Torrential rain hit the Suzuka track and a frantic first lap resulted in Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon crashing out, with some drivers including Gasly returning to the pit-lane. Red flags were enforced and as the AlphaTauri driver approached the back of the pack behind a safety car he had a scary moment almost hitting a recovery vehicle.
The incident sparked worrying memories of Jules Bianchi's fatal crash in 2014 when he crashed into a recovery vehicle and died nine months later.
"It's totally unacceptable," said Horner reflecting on the near-miss. "We lost Jules Bianchi here and that should never ever happen.
"There needs to be a full investigation as to why there was a recovery vehicle on the circuit. Checo (Sergio Perez) reported it to us and of course in those horrendous conditions where the visibility is zero it's extremely dangerous. The virtual safety car was brought in for a reason following that awful accident all those years ago.
"There just needs to be a full investigation as to why that vehicle was on track because it obviously shouldn't have been."
Bianchi is the most recent Formula 1 driver to be killed as a result of a crash and it happened at Suzuka eight years ago. His Marussia smashed into a recovery vehicle working at the side of the track, and he sadly died in July the following year, nine months after that crash.
Red Bull driver Perez also made his views clear on Twitter, 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!"
