As marshalls waved the checkered flag signalling Verstappen as the Japanese Grand Prix winner, it was assumed by Red Bull (and everyone watching at home) that full points would not be awarded due to the race being shortened by wet weather. The FIA then announced as Verstappen was being interviewed that the Dutchman had received 25 points for his win and as such, had won the world championship. As Verstappen and the Red Bull team began celebrating, it was then speculated that Verstappen would lose the title because Red Bull Racing had exceeded the budget cap but the FIA have yet to announce the penalty Red Bull will face.
The incident sparked memories of the death of Jules Bianchi
Verstappen’s championship victory was overshadowed to an extent after Pierre Gasly narrowly missed a collision with a recovery truck on the track. The red flag had been waved two seconds before Gasly, driving at 155mph, passed the recovery truck, sent out to collect Carlos Sainz’s crashed Ferrari.
The incident sparked memories of the death of Jules Bianchi who was involved in a collision at the Japanese Grand Prix back in 2014. The French driver suffered fatal head injuries when he lost control of his vehicle in wet conditions and hit a recovery vehicle. Bianchi was placed into an induced coma until his death a year later at the age of 25.
Pierre Gasly was understandably left furious after the incident. The French driver blamed the FIA for a mistake which could have cost the 26-year-old his life and criticised them for forgetting the previous loss of life due to an incident like the one he had faced:
“For the respect of Jules, all his family and for our safety and the one of the marshals, there should never be any tractor/crane nor marshals on track in such conditions with such poor visibility before we all get back in the pits. Period. We got to learn from the past, hopefully no one gets to experience this ever again.”
Bianchi's father also took to Instagram to voice his distress, writing "No respect for the life of the driver, no respect for Jules' memory. Incredible."
"No respect for the life of the driver, no respect for Jules' memory. Incredible."
Phillippe Bianchi
Fellow F1 drivers condemned the incident and the outcry has forced the FIA to announce an investigation into the incident, saying:
"While it is normal practice to recover cars under safety car and red flag conditions, due to the particular circumstances and also taking into account feedback from of a number of drivers, the FIA has launched a thorough review of the events involving the deployment of recovery vehicles during the Japanese Grand Prix.”