How did it happen and what comes next?

SUZUKA, Japan — Formula One drivers and team bosses have called for answers from the FIA after a recovery vehicle entered the track at the Japanese Grand Prix while Pierre Gasly was still circulating a soaking wet Suzuka circuit at more than 200km/h. An investigation will now get under way to understand how such a dangerous situation could be allowed to unfold, with Gasly later telling the media that he was just two metres away from being involved in a fatal collision.

The incident drew comparisons with Jules Bianchi’s accident at the 2014 Japanese GP, when he crashed into a crane in a gravel trap and sustained serious brain damage. He died the following year from the injuries.

The FIA has a long record of bringing about safety changes as a result of lessons learned from accidents and near misses, and there is a strong push from F1’s drivers to see a similar reaction following Sunday’s race.

What happened?

The incident occurred on the second lap of Sunday’s Japanese GP after a chaotic opening lap. All 20 drivers started the race on intermediate tyres — usually used when conditions are crossing over from wet to dry — but as the race got underway, the conditions worsened significantly.

Carlos Sainz, who was running in third place, aquaplaned on the straight after the Turn 11 hairpin and crashed heavily into the barrier near Turn 12. The impact resulted in part of the advertising hoarding being ripped off the barrier and deposited onto the track, which Gasly then hit after being unsighted by spray from other cars. With other spins and Alex Albon’s Williams stopping at the side of the track following contact with one of the Haas cars, race control called a safety car.

As Gasly had damage to his car’s front wing, however, he went straight back to the pits as the rest of the cars caught up with the safety car. When Gasly returned to the track on his own, he was driving faster than the safety car in order to catch up but within a delta time displayed on his steering wheel. The delta time is set to ensure drivers are able to catch up with the train of cars behind the safety car but is made high enough to make sure they do so at a safe speed. In the very wet conditions, however, it still meant Gasly regularly exceeded 200 km/h (120 mph).

At some point during the second lap and once the safety car had picked up the pack of cars minus Gasly, a flatbed truck and a crane were deployed onto the track to clear Sainz’s car. The safety car guided 17 of the cars…