Jules Bianchi undergoes brain surgery after Japanese Grand Prix crash
The Guardian -
The Marussia driver Jules Bianchi underwent surgery after suffering a severe head injury in an accident at the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday. In heavy rain the 25-year-old’s car left the track and hit a recovery vehicle that was removing the Sauber of Adrian Sutil which had come off on the previous lap at the same corner. The race was won by Lewis Hamilton with only 47 of 53 laps possible following a red flag after Bianchi’s crash.
A statement from the FIA read: “Adrian Sutil lost control of his car, spun and hit the tyre barrier on the outside of turn seven. The marshals displayed double waved yellow flags before the corner to warn drivers of the incident. A recovery vehicle was despatched 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 his car, travelled across the run-off area and hit the back of the tractor.”
The statement continued: “The driver was removed from the car, taken to the circuit medical centre and then by ambulance to hospital. The CT scan shows 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 issue an update as soon as further information becomes available.”
The race was stopped shortly after Bianchi’s crash and the FIA announced the driver was unconscious and had been taken to hospital by ambulance rather than by helicopter. There was immediate concern across the paddock as the seriousness of the accident became clear. The race had begun under the safety car in heavy rain and was red-flagged after two laps causing a delay of 20 minutes. But after a restart and a period of drying, the downpour returned and Bianchi left the track on lap 44. Sutil, who was unhurt after his incident, witnessed the crash and, in his opinion, the extremely wet conditions were to blame.
“It was the same as what happened to me, he had been aquaplaning but just one lap later,” he said. “It hit him hard. That is all I can say. I have no information about how he is but I really hope for him that it is all OK and my thoughts are with him. It was more or less the same crash, but the outcome was a bit different. [The tractor] came out to rescue my car, and then it all happened.”
Sutil criticised the decision not to deploy the safety car sooner after his crash. “I think everyone knows this is one of the most tricky corners,” he said. “When it is getting late and the rain increases, let’s say when you have an accident there, you should probably think about a safety car.”
The race’s late 3pm start meant that, after the earlier rain delay, the closing laps took place under heavy clouds as dusk was falling. Serious questions have already been asked about why the start time was not brought forward. With the knowledge typhoon Phanfone was approaching, the FIA had offered an earlier start of 11am but it was reportedly rejected by the race promoters, Honda, because they did not believe fans would make it to the circuit in time.
Sutil confirmed that the track conditions had a part to play in the crashes. “It was quite difficult,” he said. “In the end we got more rain and it was dark so visibility was getting less and less and this corner was a tricky one the whole way through. hen it got dark, you couldn’t see where the wet patches were and that is why I lost the car and it really surprised me.”
Formula One cars are designed to rigorous safety specifications but are built with the expectation of impacts with trackside structures such as tyre barriers or safety walls, rather than recovery vehicles, which would have caused far more severe damage. “It was a horrible incident,” Jenson Button said. “It is an incident you hope never happens in Formula One. I saw the Marussia behind the crane, and it was very damaged, which was surprising.”
Celebrations were understandably muted for Hamilton, who took a 10-point championship lead over his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg. As news of the crash reached fans, they filed from the circuit in near silence.
Hamilton, who described the conditions as “difficult throughout” was also focused on Bianchi immediately after the race. “Our first thoughts go to Jules,” he said. “It overshadows everything else when one of our colleagues is injured and we are praying for him. Next to this, the race result doesn’t seem significant at all.”
