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Daniel Ricciardo believes F1 recovery vehicles on the track with cars on track are completely unacceptable. The McLaren driver felt the tractor incident at the 2022 F1 Japanese GP was a ghastly reminder of the Jules Bianchi tragedy at the Suzuka circuit.
Asked by Sportskeeda about the tractor incident and if it has been discussed, the McLaren driver said:
"Since ‘14 I can’t actually remember. Absolutely, yeah. I mean 2014 was a tragedy. So there was, obviously it was going to get discussed for many reasons but that was, you know, a massive part of it. A lot of things changed since then, I believe, it was then the VSC and all these things got applied."
Ricciardo continued:
"But yeah, it was just like a complete no-no, the tractors and the cranes. That was discussed. Oh I mean it’s universal. We don’t need to be circuit-specific. Obviously the tragedy happened here but it’s universal, it’s not track-to-track."
Suggesting that the tractor incident will be a discussion in the future amongst the drivers, Daniel Ricciardo felt that having recovery vehicles on track while the cars are still running is absolutely wrong.
The Australian felt that the tractor present during the Japanese GP was reminiscent of the 2014 tragedy in the sport that killed Jules Bianchi. The Australian felt that the Bianchi incident did lead to changes in the sport but there should be a discussion in the future to avoid a repeat of the same.
Daniel Ricciardo feels the presence of a recovery vehicle on track is non-negotiable
Speaking after the Japanese GP to on-site media including Sportskeeda, the McLaren driver felt that recovery vehicles on track during the race was unacceptable.
Daniel Ricciardo felt that the tractor should not have been on the track with other cars present, irrespective of the speed the drivers were at. Explaining the visibility issues and safety conditions, the Australian felt that the presence of the tractor was extremely dangerous.
Commenting on the tractor incident amidst the Japanese GP, Daniel Ricciardo said:
"Yeah we obviously don't have to go back to 2014, but we all know that it was after that and it was just non-negotiable. You just can't have it (tractor) when we're on track, no matter how slow we are going, it's just we can't have that...That's why it's hard, because visibility is so poor you know."
He continued:
"And honestly the onboard cameras show some of it and inside the car it's worse with the visors and everything. Also the cars are not that much safer when we go slower in these conditions because you lose temperatures so yeah. Ultimately you just can't have it (the tractor on track)."
The Australian also felt that the slow speeds of the car did not make them any safer in wet weather, given the slippery track conditions and the loss of temperatures in the tires. Daniel Ricciardo was one of the few drivers to pass by the tractor as the recovery vehicle made its way onto the track before the cars were cleared.
