The full FIA statement on F1 Japanese GP crane incident review

Anger from the F1 drivers erupted at the Japanese GP when a recovery crane came on to the track to retrieve Carlos Sainz’s stricken Ferrari after he crashed in heavy rain during the start of the race.

Pierre Gasly said he feared for his life after driving past the crane unsighted while trying to catch up with the F1 pack behind the safety car, having picked up debris from the Sainz crash and needing to pit the lap before. The AlphaTauri driver was given a post-race penalty for speeding under the red flag.

Here’s the FIA statement in full

The findings of a far-reaching FIA review of incidents at the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit have determined that a number of procedural recommendations will be implemented.

The review is based on the FIA’s critical reflection process, a letter from the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association and discussions between the FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem and a number of drivers including George Russell, GPDA Director, and AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly who expressed their concerns over the on-track incidents during the severely rain-affected race at Suzuka.

From an operational standpoint, the review was originated by the FIA Remote Operations Centre (ROC) in Geneva immediately after a series of incidents on lap two of the Grand Prix. The ROC, introduced for the 2022 season, provides support on procedural, sporting and regulatory matters to Race Control during race weekends.

The review panel comprised representatives from a number of FIA departments including Race Control, ROC, Safety, Operations and Technical. The process was overseen by FIA Deputy President for Sport Robert Reid, who was in attendance in Suzuka.

The ROC has recreated a full timeline of the incidents from video and data capture.

The wet track conditions and driver visibility were taken into account by Race Control staff from Suzuka together with the ROC in reaching their conclusions. A lengthy study of video footage and Race Control telemetry and ROC data was undertaken.

Driver behaviour and the performance of circuit marshals and recovery vehicle operators was also evaluated. The conclusions of the review has led to the adoption of a number of measures for the future.

The FIA is committed to constant improvement and analysis so that situations such as that which occurred in Suzuka can be avoided or at least safely mitigated.