‘I would have died’ fumes Gasly after avoiding hitting crane

SUZUKA, Japan (AP) — An emotional Pierre Gasly said he feared for his life at the start of the Japanese Grand Prix when he narrowly avoided crashing into a crane on the same race track where countryman Jules Bianchi was killed in a similar incident. The crane was deployed Sunday when cars began sliding off course at the start of the rain-soaked race. The recovery vehicle was on the Suzaka Circuit to collect Carlos Sainz Jr.’s car and Gasly didn’t see it in poor visibility. He sped past the crane and a safety worker and was penalized by the FIA after the race for not slowing down. The FIA said it will investigate the deployment of the safety vehicles.