Footage shows marshal running out of way to avoid Pierre Gasly at Japanese GP

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    While Max Verstappen claimed his second F1 title in bizarre fashion, the main talking point after the Japanese Grand Prix was the incident that saw Pierre Gasly almost collide with a recovery vehicle.

    The race got underway in treacherous conditions at Suzuka and, on the first lap, the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz aquaplaned and speared into a barrier at high speed.

    As a result, the safety car was deployed before eventually the race was red flagged. However, a recovery vehicle and a marshal were sent out onto the track to retrieve the Ferrari while the other cars were still circulating.

    READ MORE: Pierre Gasly says Japanese GP tractor incident 'disrespected' tragic Jules Bianchi

    Gasly, who had been into the pits to have a piece of advertising board removed from the front wing of his AlphaTauri, was catching up to the pack when he came across the vehicle, screaming over the radio that he could have been killed.

    The near miss brought back harrowing memories of the crash which claimed the life of Jules Bianchi at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix, which was run in very similar conditions. The Frenchman collided with a recovery vehicle, suffering severe head injuries. He died nine months later.

    Sunday’s incident left Gasly and many fellow drivers seething. Gasly said it showed a lack of respect for Bianchi and his family.

    What did you think of the incident? Tell us in the comments section below.

    Footage from Sainz’s car as it was being recovered showed just how close the marshal was to being struck by Gasly. The marshal sees the AlphaTauri coming at the last moment before hurriedly moving himself and the car out of harm’s way.

    Gasly was subsequently hit with a 20-second time penalty and had two penalty points added to his licence for going too fast under red flag conditions.

    Following feedback from the drivers, the FIA has also confirmed that it has launched an investigation into the incident of the recovering vehicle being on track to "ensure continual improvements of processes and procedures".

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