Carlos Sainz has questioned the use of a recovery vehicle on the circuit while cars filtered past under Safety Car conditions in the Japanese Grand Prix.
The Spaniard crashed out at turn 12 on the first lap in heavy rain conditions, causing the introduction of the Safety Car before the red flag was thrown.
After starting from the pit lane, Pierre Gasly picked up a stricken part of the barrier and was forced to pit for a new front wing.
Upon leaving the pits and attempting to join the rear of the Safety Car queue, he passed the scene of the incident and was understandably outraged by the use of a recovery tractor on the circuit.
Sainz was asked for his opinion on the incident following his retirement from the race, stating: “I don’t know if people understand but even behind the Safety Car we are going at 100 or 150kph and still at those speeds we don’t see anything, even behind the Safety Car.
“So, if one driver decides to go a bit off the racing line or has small aquaplaning or has to change a switch on the steering wheel and gets a bit out of line and hits a tractor, it’s over, no?
“So, I still don’t know why in these conditions we keep risking having a tractor on track because it’s just worthless. You were going to red flag it anyway, so why risk it?”
The outrage stems from the tragic events of the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix where the late Jules Bianchi collided with a tractor crane that was tending to a Sauber that had spun in the heavy rain conditions.
The French driver went on to lose his life the following year due to the injuries sustained in the accident.
