Japanese Grand Prix - Valtteri Bottas

F1 "lucky" to avoid "serious" Japanese GP disaster - Bottas

Sam Hall Thursday 13 October 2022 20:20

F1 "lucky" to avoid "serious" Japanese GP disaster - Bottas

Valtteri Bottas believes F1 was "lucky" to avoid a serious incident at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Fury was sparked amongst the drivers at Suzuka after Pierre Gasly encountered a recovery vehicle on the track in treacherous conditions.

The French AlphaTauri driver had been separated from the pack after pitting at the end of lap one and was lapping within his safety car delta time to catch the back of the pack.

On the run to Spoon corner, however, and moments after the red flag was displayed, Gasly came across a crane parked on the racing line and marshals on the track.

Conceding F1's good fortune at avoiding a serious consequence, Bottas said: “I’m sure it is going to be a discussion for the next drivers’ meeting.

"But it definitely shouldn’t happen and I think we’re lucky that nothing more serious happened to anyone.”

The incident, which sparked memories of Jules Bianchi's ultimately fatal crash at the same track in 2014, follows another similar instance from Singapore which had equally riled the drivers.

“The latest we have spoken about having people on track or cranes or anything was in Singapore," added Bottas.

“We were surprised how quickly some of the marshals went to aid Tsunoda. It was not yet VSC and there were people on the track and it was a similar thing here.”

Latest News

Latest F1 News

F1 team announce NEW driver signing for 2025

4 minutes ago

Latest F1 News

Ferrari team-mates COLLIDE at Las Vegas Grand Prix

49 minutes ago

Las Vegas Grand Prix

FIA announce major PENALTY for F1 star at Las Vegas Grand Prix

1 hour ago

Las Vegas Grand Prix Practice

F1 Results Today: Verstappen suffers Las Vegas Grand Prix NIGHTMARE as Hamilton dominates

2 hours ago

Las Vegas Grand Prix Practice

F1 team DISASTER brings out shock red flag at Las Vegas Grand Prix

2 hours ago

F1 Today

F1 News Today: Hamilton BOMBSHELL drops as Red Bull announce NEW contract for 2025

3 hours ago

More news

F1 Race Calendar 2024

GP AUSTRIA 28 - 30 Jun

George Russell

GP GREAT BRITAIN 5 - 7 Jul

Lewis Hamilton

GP HUNGARY 19 - 21 Jul

Oscar Piastri

GP BELGIUM 26 - 28 Jul

Lewis Hamilton

GP NETHERLANDS 23 - 25 Aug

Lando Norris

GP ITALY 30 Aug - 1 Sep

Charles Leclerc

GP AZERBAIJAN 13 - 15 Sep

Oscar Piastri

GP SINGAPORE 20 - 22 Sep

Lando Norris

GP USA 18 - 20 Oct

Charles Leclerc

GP MEXICO 25 - 27 Oct

GP QATAR 29 Nov - 1 Dec

GP ABU DHABI 6 - 8 Dec

Complete kalender 2024

F1 News 24/7

Races

About GPFans

GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.

We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.

With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.

Follow us on your favorite social media channel

Corporate & Media

Innovatieweg 20C
7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860

CHOOSE YOUR COUNTRY

F1 "lucky" to avoid "serious" Japanese GP disaster - Bottas

F1 "lucky" to avoid "serious" Japanese GP disaster - Bottas