Heavy rain halts Japanese GP after two laps

The Japanese Grand Prix has been red flagged after two laps due to heavy rain that limited visibility around the Suzuka track.

Drivers woke up on Sunday to another soggy day in Japan and to the prospect of a wet race but conditions at the start encouraged everyone to rely on the intermediate tyre.

However, stagnant water coupled with the rain produced a massive amount of spray that limited visibility.

The opening lap claimed several victims, with Ferrari's Carlos Sainz aquaplaning at the exit of the hairpin while Sebastian Vettel and Zhou Guanyu also caught out by the tricky conditions.

Also, Pierre Gasly hit an advertising board that flew onto the track following Sainz's off, which forced the AlphaTauri driver to pit for a new front wing. But the Frenchman also took the opportunity to switch to the wet tyre.

However, while catching up with the field which had by then been neutralised by the safety car, Gasly appeared to pass a recovery vehicle out on the track performing clean-up operations, which infuriated the AlphaTauri charger.

"It's unacceptable,I could have f****** killed myself," said the livid Frenchman on his radio, recalling the dramatic incident involving a recovery vehicle that claimed the life of Jules Bianchi at Suzuka in 2014.

The incident was noted by the FIA and will be investigated after the race, but serious questions are sure to be asked by competitors.

The heayy downpour and dangerous conditions eventually compelled race control to red flag the event.

A rolling restart was scheduled for 14:50 local time but as the field led by Max Verstappen prepared to get going again the start process was suspended due to another heavy rain front moving in over Suzuka.

The race will restart without Alex Albon following an engine issue encountered by the Williams driver  at the start.

When the race restarts it will be a timed race as the two-hour limit countdown has started.

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