F1 Madness

Tag: suzuka

  • Bianchi Family Statement

    Bianchi Family Statement

    The Bianchi family has released a statement to confirm that Jules Bianchi has passed away.

    “It is with deep sadness that the parents of Jules Bianchi, Philippe and Christine, his brother Tom and sister Mélanie, wish to make it known that Jules passed away last night at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) in Nice, (France) where he was admitted following the accident of 5th October 2014 at Suzuka Circuit during the Japanese Formula 1 Grand Prix.

    “Jules fought right to the very end, as he always did, but today his battle came to an end,” said the Bianchi family. “The pain we feel is immense and indescribable. We wish to thank the medical staff at Nice’s CHU who looked after him with love and dedication. We also thank the staff of the General Medical Center in the Mie Prefecture (Japan) who looked after Jules immediately after the accident, as well as all the other doctors who have been involved with his care over the past months.

    “Furthermore, we thank Jules’ colleagues, friends, fans and everyone who has demonstrated their affection for him over these past months, which gave us great strength and helped us deal with such difficult times. Listening to and reading the many messages made us realise just how much Jules had touched the hearts and minds of so many people all over the world.

    “We would like to ask that our privacy is respected during this difficult time, while we try to come to terms with the loss of Jules.”

    Rest in peace Jules. You will be missed. 

  • Jules Bianchi Update: Condition ‘more terrible than if he had died,’ says his father

    Jules Bianchi Update: Condition ‘more terrible than if he had died,’ says his father

    Jules Bianchi’s father, Philippe, has admitted that he is becoming a lot less optimistic about the chances of his son recovering from the injuries suffered during a horrific crash at last year’s Japanese Grand Prix.

    Jules Bianchi remains in a coma at a hospital in Nice, nine months after his horrific collision with a recovery vehicle at the grand prix at Suzuka and his father describes the situation as one that his putting the Bianchi family through “daily torture”.

    Bianchi suffered severe brain injuries in the crash and his family have remained hopeful, remaining at his bedside, but his father wass a lot less optimistic in an interview with France Info, a local radio station.

    “It’s unbearable, it’s a daily torture,” Philippe Bianchi told the radio station. “We sometimes feel like we’re going crazy, because for me, it certainly is more terrible than if he had died. For we’re not able to help him more than we can.

    Jules Bianchi“Time goes by and I am now less optimistic than I may have been two or three months after the crash, when we could hope for a better evolution. At some point, you need to be well-grounded and realise how serious the situation is.”

    Bianchi, who was driving for Marussia and was part of Ferrari’s young driver programme, has not made any significant progress in his recovery. His father went on to say that waking up from the coma would lead to further complications as he struggles with a conversation he had with Jules following Michael Schumacher’s skiing accident in December 2013.

    “If he finds himself with huge disabilities, we’re pretty sure it’s not at all what Jules would want. We had talked about it. He told us that if he were to have an accident similar to Michael Schumacher’s, if he were even just not to be able to drive anymore, it would be very hard for him to accept it. Because it was his life.”

    We all continue to hope for a full recover for Jules and our thoughts remain with the Bianchi family throughout their struggle.

    #ForzaJules

  • Jules Bianchi update

    Jules Bianchi update

    Philippe Bianchi, father of Jules Bianchi, has provided an update on Jules’ current medical situation, as well as voiced his anger around the FIA investigation which blames his son for the horror crash at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix.

    The 25-year old Bianchi remains in a coma in Nice more than six months after that terrible day at Suzuka. His father agreed to an interview with a local Nice newspaper “out of respect for all the people who continue to send Jules their beautiful wishes, encouragement and affection every day”.

    He did however admit that there is very little to report about Jules’ progress medically.

    “The only thing we can say is that he fights with force and with the same strength that he has always fought with, before and after the accident,” Bianchi told the local Nice-Matin newspaper.

    “Every day, Jules does a marathon. From a medical point of view, his condition is stable. He is fairly autonomous — no physical problems.

    “All of his organs are working without assistance. But for now, he remains unconscious.”

    When asked whether neurosurgeons are seeing any improvement in Bianchi’s brain state, he admitted that this is something that will take a very long time, “For this kind of trauma, we know the evolution is very slow,” he said.

    Jules Bianchi“But compared to what the Japanese professor who operated on him told us, it is already night and day. There, when we arrived to see Jules, there was no hope. There was talk of irreversible damage.

    “It was said he could not be transferred before one year, but it was done after seven weeks, as Jules quickly began to breathe again on his own.

    “Now, the doctors tell us there is no specific intervention they can do. Most important is to stimulate Jules so that he feels a constant presence at his side.

    “So we take turns every day — his mother, his sister, his brother and me. He also has his German girlfriend, Gina, who lives here now,” Philippe told Nice-Matin.

    “From time to time, at his bedside, we see that things are happening. Sometimes he is more active, he moves more, squeezes our hand, but is it mere reflex or is it real?

    “Hard to know,” Mr Bianchi said.

    He said it continues to be a terrible time within the Bianchi family, a “daily torture”.

    “Our universe collapsed on 5 October 2014. The questions that no one can answer now: will he make it? If so, will he be disabled or can he live normally? I think that in this type of accident, it hits harder than a death. The suffering is relentless. A daily torture,” Bianchi explained.

    “To those people who think of him, I want to thank each one and tell them that we will give news when there is any, good or bad.”

    When asked about the FIA investigation which placed blame on Jules Bianchi for the horror crash, Philippe was furious.

    “It was an internal investigation,” he abruptly replied. “Only those who were involved were engaged.

    “Regarding this, I have nothing new to say,” Mr Bianchi continued. “Very good people are involved now to defend the interests of Jules.

    “If someone is responsible some day, he will have to pay. Frankly, I’m too upset to talk about it. I prefer to focus my energy on Jules now”.

    Our thoughts remain with Jules Bianchi, his father Phillipe and his family, friends and fellow race drivers. Keep fighting, young man! #ForzaJules

  • Bianchi Update: Jules is in ‘critical but stable’ condition

    Bianchi Update: Jules is in ‘critical but stable’ condition

    French Formula One driver, Jules Bianchi, remains in a “critical but stable” condition in the intensive care unit of the Mie General Hospital in Japan.

    This follows emergency surgery after sustaining severe head injuries in the horrendous crash into a recovery vehicle at Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka.

    FIA spokesperson Matteo Bonciani said that, “The situation is really serious. Very serious but stable.”

    “That’s all I can say, and I’m doing this update on Jules’ parents’ behalf,” he added. “Tomorrow (Tuesday), the family will see all the doctors and have all the information.”

    Jules’ parents, Philippe and Christine Bianchi, who had been at home in the south of France, arrived late on Monday after their flight had been delayed by Typhoon Phanfone.

    Bonciani also added that Bianchi’s agent, Nicolas Todt, has also made his way to Japan and that Professor Gerard Saillant, who oversaw Michael Schumacher’s medical treatment following his skiing accident is also on route to help in any way he can.

    FIA President Jean Todt has demanded a full, detailed report of the events and circumstances leading up to the horrific accident.

    The Marussia F1 Team issued a statement yesterday expressing their appreciation for the outpouring of support that the team and Jules Bianchi have received and asked for “patience and understanding” with regard to further medical updates.

  • Official confirmation: Bianchi transferred to ICU

    Official confirmation: Bianchi transferred to ICU

    Official reports are in that Jules Bianchi is out of surgery and has been transferred to ICU after suffering severe head trauma in a crash at the Japanese Grand Prix.

    Earlier today F1 governing body, the FIA, said that the Frenchman would be operated on before being moved to the intensive care unit of the Mie General Hospital in Japan.

    Bianchi was severely injured after he hit a recovery vehicle – sent out to recover the Sauber of Adrian Sutil. The accident prompted a red flag which effectively ended the race at Suzuka after 44 of 53 laps.

    Reports from French media sources had stated that Bianchi was breathing on his own after surgery but there seem to be conflicting reports on the situation and we will await official confirmation before updating on the matter.

  • F1 2014: Hamilton Wins Overshadowed Japanese GP

    F1 2014: Hamilton Wins Overshadowed Japanese GP

    Every now and then we lapse into an almost oblivious comfort zone where we’re inclined to almost forget that we’re witnessing some of the greatest motorsport talent in the world.

    Treacherous conditions at the Japanese GP brought these driver’s tremendous talents into sharp focus this weekend. The grand prix had been under threat of a typhoon for several days but the worst of it was always predicted for Sunday.  The calculations proved spot on as the heavens opened a few hours before the start of the race. Streams of water across the track surface and poor visibility demanded a start behind the safety car but it was soon evident that even this precaution would not be enough. The race was red-flagged after two laps behind the safety car.

    Pole sitter Nico Rosberg was led into the pitlane for what would become a 25 minute delay. The safety car restart brought drama for Ferrari as Fernando Alonso was forced into retirement with an electronic problem. The resumption of racing brought with it the much anticipated battle between Rosberg and Hamilton. It was Hamilton, renowned for his wet weather skills, who piled on the pressure and eventually took the lead with a terrifyingly courageous move around the outside of turn one. If Rosberg was struggling with his tyres, or conditions or even car performance the fact remains that when it comes time to go wheel-to-wheel with Hamilton he has not yet stepped up. By being consigned to second place Rosberg finds himself ten points adrift of the championship leader.

    Suzuka Podium 2014Another master in wet conditions Jenson Button made an early call for intermediate tyres and was running as high as third. JB eventually fell prey to the much faster Red Bulls and brought the McLaren home in fifth. Although the 2009 champion is yet to nail down his seat for 2015 his display in this race underlined his class.

    The superstar that is Daniel Ricciardo once again lit up the race with several brilliant overtaking manoeuvres.  The Aussie boldly overtook both Williams’ drivers in the Esses in indescribably difficult conditions. Of Williams there was regrettably not much to get excited about. Despite locking out the second row of the grid Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa were decidedly absent from proceedings. So much so, that you wouldn’t have been blamed for thinking that they had already closed up shop and headed off to Russia.

    Sebastian Vettel, who announced that he will be leaving Red Bull at the end of the season, kept close quarters with his teammate but a late stop for fresh tyres dropped him to fourth. However, on count back, following the second and final red flag the future Ferrari driver was elevated to third.

    Sadly, the Japanese GP was overshadowed by an accident for Marussia’s Jules Bianchi. The 25-year-old went off at Turn seven on lap 43 and crashed heavily into a recovery vehicle which was in the process of removing the Sauber of Adrian Sutil who had crashed a lap earlier. The accident resulted in the second red flag and prompted race control to call the race result. The Frenchman was taken to the circuit medical centre and soon afterward transported to a nearby hospital. The official news, confirmed by the FIA, is that Bianchi suffered a severe head injury which has required surgery.

    The mood amongst Japanese GP podium finishers Hamilton, Rosberg and Vettel was decidedly sombre after having learnt of Bianchi’s crash as it was for all Jules Bianchimotorsport fans. In a show of respect and great sportsmanship no champagne was sprayed on the podium.

    We get used to it when nothing happens and when something does happen we are surprised, understandably upset and looking to place blame where it seems to be most convenient. The truth is, and will remain, that hindsight is always 20/20. We want to blame the FIA for not starting the race earlier; we want to blame race control for not hanging out the red flag earlier or putting out a safety car, we’ll even  speculate as to why Bianchi did not slow in the face of double waved yellow flags.

    Ultimately, this is a reminder that regardless of how well organised or how many contingencies are put in place there will occasionally be a situation that exposes the danger of Formula 1. All our thoughts and prayers reside with Jules Bianchi. Forza Jules.

  • 2014 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix: Sunday Press Conference

    2014 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix: Sunday Press Conference

    Drivers:

    1st Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

    2nd Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)

    3rd Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)

    PODIUM INTERVIEWS
    (Conducted by Nigel Mansell)

    Q: What a race we just had ladies and gentlemen, a very tough one at the office for these gentlemen. Brilliant drives everybody. Lewis, your 30th win, my goodness me, how did you enjoy that?
    Lewis Hamilton:     It was great. What a day it’s been. It’s been a very difficult weekend. Today, to be raining so much, it was very difficult, tricky conditions. We hope that Bianchi is OK. But we had a great crowd this weekend, as every year.

    Q: Tell us about those hot laps, 15 or 16 laps before the end there. You were putting in some hot laps, a second or second and a half quicker than anyone?
    LH:     Yeah, I really got into a groove. In terms of feeling it was very reminiscent of Silverstone 2008.

    Q: Tell the fans what you really thought when you went off at the first turn when you were really pushing hard early in the race?
    LH:     I was pushing to get by Nico and I had the DRS open and I forgot to turn it off. When I went into the corner the rear end stepped out. It was very, very close but I saved it.

    Q: Well, a brilliant win. Nico, you did everything perfect, great pole position yesterday and then great drive. You were doing all the hard work, acting as the brake, because being out front is difficult isn’t it?
    Nico Rosberg:     It’s been a good weekend for us as a team. Of course it’s great for us as a team to get a one-two. And you fans have been absolutely spectacular again this weekend, it’s very, very special to drive here and to really get an impression of the whole atmosphere here. Congrats to Lewis for winning today, of course with my thoughts at the moment with our colleagues Jules, because it seems quite serious, so I really wish him all the best.

    Q: As we all do. Unfortunately, we don’t have any news about that at the moment. But brilliant drive and congratulations Nico. Seb, unbelievable drive, you made things very exciting with the Williams drivers, getting on the inside and then the outside. How did you enjoy that today?
    Sebastian Vettel:     As they both touched on it was very, very tricky. Took a while to get the race started, waiting for the conditions but then I think it was very good fun. Concentration has to be very, very high when it’s wet; it’s so easy to do a mistake. In the end obviously we pitted, decided to go for fresh tyres, lost one position only. Obviously I got lucky to have the safety car coming before, so I’m quite lucky to be up here. Great race, we seemed to have great at some times as well. Overall, very happy and last but not least best to Jules Bianchi.

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Q: Lewis, an excellent race, the right result for you in very difficult conditions.
    LH:     Yeah, absolutely. It’s been an interesting weekend. Obviously a great result for the team. I think we’re all very concerned about our colleague, Bianchi. Don’t really know what to say. But again, to have the result, this has been a great weekend with the car; qualifying obviously wasn’t perfect for me but generally the car was absolutely fantastic through the race and once I was passed Nico I was able to really manage the gap and enjoy the ride. Obviously didn’t finish the way we would have hoped but really, my prayers are with him (Bianchi) and his family.

    Q: A great overtaking manoeuvre round the outside of Nico going down into the first corner; tell us about that.
    LH:     Fairly straightforward, really. I had a lot more pace than Nico. This is not a very easy circuit to follow but fortunately I was able to get quite close and particularly in the last corner and I think perhaps he had a small oversteer moment out of the last corner and I didn’t. Obviously the DRS enabled me to get alongside. I was fairly confident with the balance of the car so I put it there and stuck it out. And after that it was really about trying to… you know, the whole approach changed after that because I was attacking, attacking and after that, I kind of took different lines and managed it differently. But it felt very reminiscent of a time years and years ago, of 2008, and it was a great feeling in that respect.

    Q: And you had a couple of excursions but they didn’t really seem to hurt you at all.
    LH:     Yeah, I only remember one of them but yeah, I went into turn one with the DRS open and there’s so much less downforce when that wing is open. You’ve got to remember to close it again and then I started to turn and brake and it was still open, so the back end stepped out. It was very, very close but yeah, kept hold of it, didn’t really lose too much time so fortunate.

    Q: Nico, we heard you talking about a lot of oversteer, is that what the problem was throughout the race?
    NR:     I was definitely not happy with my balance but I think we had pretty much the same set-up so Lewis must have had the same oversteer. I just wasn’t happy with that and tried to figure out a way to reduce that and found some improvements then with the pit stop, put down the front wing so that was a bit better but still not good so just need to look into that. But all in all, Lewis just did a better job today and deserves to win. OK, second place is damage limitation and taking everything into consideration, it was very, very difficult conditions out there on this track and everything so seven points lost to Lewis… you know, there’s worse than that.

    Q: Sebastian, a late stop and we weren’t awfully certain if we’d see you or Daniel in here; it was a bit worrying with that late stop.
    SV:     Yeah, obviously we didn’t know what happened. The safety car came out and I think we were aware that Adrian went off in turn seven and obviously it was difficult to see what happened after that. From a racing point of view, the safety car comes in and we saw that there was quite a good gap and so we decided to pit and lost only one position. Obviously, as it turned out with the red flag, we thought initially we were not on the podium, but as the rules are similar to… I think a little bit of confusion. Five years ago in Malaysia I think we had a similar scenario and we found ourselves back in third. Obviously it was great to be on the podium, this is my favourite track, it’s for sure very nice in those tricky conditions. In the end, I don’t think it really matters. I think the most important thing, as we’re all probably thinking, is that we hope the best for Jules, obviously currently not in the best shape but we hope that we get some very good news very soon.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto, Motor und Sport) Question to all three of you: you were out in the last few laps on intermediates as well when the accidents happened. How slippery was it and was it already too wet for intermediates at that period of the race?
    LH:     For me personally it wasn’t. There was more and more rain coming and you could see the circuit… you started to see more reflections and so you could see that it was increasing – the amount of water that was on the track, but it wasn’t… I didn’t notice any difference so I was still able to maintain the same pace. I would imagine that we would probably have been able to finish on those tyres since there was only ten laps left. Yeah, but the tyres performed quite well today.
    NR: Yeah, it was fine but the thing is that we have so much more downforce than some other people, so I can imagine that maybe for them… because it was starting to get a little bit more difficult for us and maybe for them, with so much less downforce, it was already on the limit of needing to go to full wets. That’s very possible and I myself was a little bit surprised to hear that other people were already going for full wets but I guess that must be the explanation.
    SV: Yeah, it was borderline. At some stage, towards the end, just before the safety car, it started to rain a little bit less with a little bit less intensity. Also when the race was stopped it was just a drizzle and a couple of laps before it was getting quite bad, that’s why we decided to pit and we decided to go for intermediates again. I think the problem, in general, is that once there is a lot of water, visibility is very poor and once there’s too much water, the inter doesn’t work anymore and the extreme wet only has a very, very narrow window where it works because also, with a lot of water on the track, water drainage on the extreme tyres is not as good as it probably should be, so that’s why I think the window is narrow and that’s why other people probably decided to pit. For us, I think it was borderline but for sure, the better your car, the better – Nico explained it well – the better it is for you.

    Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Nico and Lewis, do you have any kind of explanation of the difference of balance and settings for the car and the difference during the race between the two of you?
    NR:     We had pretty much the same set-up, so I’m sure the balance was similar for Lewis and I just struggled more with it I suppose: a lot of oversteer and I don’t like that.
    LH: Yeah, we had pretty much exactly the same set-up so as Nico said, maybe he took out some wing later on in the race. I didn’t really have any problems with the balance of the car. It was oversteery but it was manageable.

  • FIA confirm severe head injury for Bianchi

    FIA confirm severe head injury for Bianchi

    The FIA has confirmed in an official statement that Marussia Formula One driver Jules Bianchi has suffered a severe head injury and is undergoing surgery following his crash at the Japanese Grand Prix.

    Bianchi crashed at Turn 7 on Lap 43 of the race at Suzuka a couple of minutes after Adrian Sutil had spun into the barriers at the same corner. Bianchi’s Marussia crashed into a recovery vehicle that had been deployed to recover Sutil’s Sauber.

    Bianchi was taken to the circuit’s medical centre and then transported to the Mie General hospital by an ambulance, remaining unconscious throughout.

    In a statement issued by the FIA the Formula One governing body said that, “The CT scan shows that he has suffered a severe head injury and is currently undergoing surgery.

    “Following this, he will be moved to intensive care where he will be monitored.

    “Mie General Hospital will issue an update as soon as further information becomes available.”

    Adrian Sutil says that he believes the safety car should have been deployed but the FIA has stated that double yellows were waved at the corner to warn drivers of the danger following his accident.

     

     

  • FIA Confirm Bianchi Head Injury

    FIA Confirm Bianchi Head Injury

    Marussia Formula 1 driver Jules Bianchi has suffered a major head injury and will undergo surgery following is crash at the Japanese Grand Prix

    Bianchi crashed on lap 43 of the grand prix in the same place Sauber’s Adrian Sutil went off. The marshals were in the process of removing Sutil’s car when Bianchi spun and crashed sideways into the recovery truck.

    The safety car was deployed shortly after and he was taken to the medical center at the track. He was then transported to the Mie General Hospital.

    The FIA have confirmed that there were double waved yellows in the section of the track indicating to drivers that there are marshals close to the track limits

    The statement from the FIA read as follows:

    “On lap 42 Adrian Sutiil lost control of his car, spun and hit the tyre barrier on the outside of Turn 7. The marshals displayed double waved yellow flags before the corner to warn drivers of the incident.

    “A recovery vehicle was dispatched in order to lift the car and take it to a place of safety behind the guardrail. While this was being done the driver of car 17, Jules Bianchi lost control of the car, traveled across the runn-off  area and hit the back of the tractor.

    “Once the marshals reported that the driver was injured, medical teams were dispatched and the safety car was deployed. These were followed by and extraction team and an ambulance.

     

    “The driver was removed from the car, taken to the circuit medical centre and then by an ambulance to Mie General Hospital.

    “The CT scan shows that he has suffered a severe head injury and is undergoing surgery.

    “Following this, he will be moved to intensive care where he will be monitored.

    “Mie General Hospital will issued an update as soon as further information becomes available.”

  • Sutil: Safety car should have come out

    Sutil: Safety car should have come out

    Adrian Sutil believes that the safety car should have been deployed after his initial crash at the Dunlop Curve. Marussia driver Jules Bianchi suffered serious injury at today’s Japanese Grand Prix.

    It all started with ten laps remaining of the race at Suzuka. Sutil spun off the track at Turn 7 in the worsening rain conditions, but no safety car was deployed. Racing continued but on the following lap, Bianchi had a similar spin. His car however aquaplaned straight into the recovery vehicle which was deployed to remove Sutil’s Sauber. He was immediately taken to the medical centre, and then to hospital in a state of unconsciousness.

    The corner is notoriously dangerous and Sutil says he does not know why a safety car was not deployed immediately.

    “With respect to this corner – everyone knows this is one of the trickiest, when it’s getting late and the rain increases, if you have an accident there you should probably think about a safety car,” Sutil said. “It’s tricky conditions today and not easy to make the right decision absolutely at the right moment.

    “At the beginning of the race we managed it quite well with the safety car. When we came in, the visibility was okay, the track was okay to drive, but it just got a little bit dark a bit early and maybe we should have stopped the race a bit earlier.”

    Sutil said Bianchi’s crash was not too different to his own, but added that the outcome was much worse.

    “The car came out to rescue my car and then it all happened. The yellow flags were out. I was just aquaplaning at that corner, it’s a tricky one and as the rain got more and more the ability [to drive] got less and less and then one lap later, with waved yellow flags, Jules came round and had the same spin there and that was it. It was more or less the same crash but the outcome was a bit different.”

    Sutil also said that the the drivers were not asked about whether they were comfortable with the race going ahead at the scheduled time, depite the forecast of heavy rains. “Yes, for sure,” Sutil said when asked whether the race could have been run in the morning. “I think they spoke about it. We weren’t asked about our opinion. It was very clear it got more wet all the day through and it would have been quite easy to make the race earlier. But as I say, it’s not in my hands.”