"I was two meters away from killing myself"- Pierre Gasly recalls tractor incident at 2022 F1 Japanese GP

Recently, AlphaTauri star Pierre Gasly criticized the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix incident that endangered his life. After Carlos Sainz's crash, a recovery vehicle was deployed on the track, and Gasly drove past it at a high rate of speed and almost without noticing the vehicle.

Fortunately, Gasly avoided being hit by the recovery vehicle and was able to return to the pits without incident. However, he was quite furious. While speaking to RacingNews365.com, Pierre Gasly shared his thoughts about the incident:

"I'm not gonna lie when I passed next to the tractor, the second that followed I knew that I was two meters away from killing myself. I went through there thinking there was nothing on track, I had to catch up on my delta."

He further said,

So, I was following the speed that I could go at, which was completely inappropriate to the situation and the incident that was occurring on the racetrack."

The Frenchman received a penalty for speeding under the red flag, but he believed that none of this mattered. Condemning the presence of the crane, he said:

"I was furious because they put my life in danger without me knowing. That was for me unacceptable, because if I had known [the crane was on track], it doesn't matter my delta lap time or whatever, my life matters more than any second that I will recover under the Safety Car, especially knowing there was a red flag."

Following his life-threatening incident, Pierre Gasly received a lot of support from fans and fellow drivers. The incident was strikingly identical to what happened in 2014 at Suzuka, which cost Jules Bianchi his life under similar circumstances.

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Pierre Gasly claims Alpine's will was strong to get him out of Red Bull

Pierre Gasly recently opened up about Alpine's deal with Red Bull that finally got him into the French team for 2023. He appreciated the efforts Alpine put in to break him out of a nine-year-old bond.

Speaking to motorsport.com, the driver highlighted how impressed he was with the team's desire to have him onboard:

"That was definitely one of the most important, let's say, criteria for me, which made it very clear for me that I should go there, is how strong their will was to get me out of Red Bull and to get me in that car."

Gasly further spoke,

"They made it very clear straight away they had to work very hard in terms of negotiations; it was not an easy deal to make between all parties involved. And it just felt like straight away they really pushed so hard to get me, and they really believe in that project. "

In the most shocking turn of events, Pierre Gasly will drive for Alpine F1 starting in 2023. The driver has signed a multi-year deal with the team and will be a key factor in executing the French team's "100 race" plan.