Hoping the best for jules after a collision with the crane removing Sutil's stricken car at Suzuka GP.
The belts would allow very little movement so his head probably took the brunt of the impact. Hope he recovers fully with no lasting effects. I especially hate seeing these kind of accident because the driver is 'along for the ride' and powerless.
I will start by saying that I really hope and wish for the very best, both for Jules Bianchi and his family. I am deeply saddened by this tragic event. I fear the worst but I hope for the best. I can only think that Bianchi is in the very best hands. I was literally sick to my stomach and had a really intense physical reaction (shaking hands, cold sweat) when I saw the immediate aftermath of the accident yesterday during the race. My heart was racing. The crane, the smoke behind it, the tiny glimpse of demolished pieces of the car near the crane… The track workers’ urgent hand signaling. All in all it looked like the worst had happened. The sight of the medical car rapidly overtaking the safety car and making its way up to the Dunlop curve made me grab my head in despair. It could only mean something very bad had happened. I was literally numb for the rest of the evening, couldn’t sleep and had that chilling image of the dark and damp crash site burned in my head. Still do. One of the worst scenes I’ve seen in the 15+ years I’ve followed Formula One and, racing in general. Watching the accidents of Greg Moore in 1999, Kubica in 2007, Massa in 2009 and Dan Wheldon in 2011 I had the same horrible feeling. Of course, the grim memory of what happened to poor Maria de Villotta comes to mind. I can’t even bear to think about what the guys at Marussia are going through right now. I was devastated to hear Ted Kravitz reporting on how they desperately tried to gain access to the medical center right after Bianchi was brought there. As always in these kinds of situations I try to find some consolation in Gary Hartstein’s written pieces on his blog. His down to earth and extremely knowledgeable way of explaining the ins and outs of these types of situations usually makes it easier to cope for me. No-nonsensical and founded in deep expertise in that area. This time though he doesn’t seem all that optimistic which worries me. The first reports that Bianchi was actually breathing on his own were very encouraging. To hear this morning that the opposite is the case and that he’s actually on a respirator is very saddening. I really hope some good news will surface soon…. Can’t believe how ugly this sport can be sometimes.
I wish Formula One wasn't a kindergarten when it's raining... I too, wish Formula One drivers would persue being on the right tires for the conditions more... Inters were clearly not up for the job at the end. Oh and calm the f*ck down with double waved yellows, especially when you're on an insufficient tire compound! That said, I hope Bianchi will recover fully.
Who said that Bianchi could actually see the waved yellow flags..? In the darkness with rain spray all over..? I for one don't think he could. He went off at around 220 kph, a speed he wouldn't have driven had he seen the flags. Maybe he only saw the flags too late because of the poor visibility. Maybe his lift off the throttle or dab on the brakes contributed to the car going off. Just saying.
It's very easy to solve; for wet races just deploy the Safety Car B E F O R E deploy any further heavy rescue truck or telehandler. It's easy to understand if a car spun off and crash in a corner for the wet condition, someone else would have done the same soon. Do you remember Nurburgring 2007? Flags are not enough no, especially in a such awful visbility condition. Not saying to do exactly the same as US series, but as it is now it's just ridiculous. Infinite kindergarten to start the race under rain and then you let a huge crushproof telehandler playing around a crash trap. Meh.
The marshal on the top scaffold in there was waving a green flag, then a rescue guy on the ground screamed something and he switched to yellow. That mess under heavy rain, with the telehandler in there, the Sutil Sauber and the Bianchi Marussia.
It's a complete travesty what happened... It really is. I cannot believe it to be honest. And yes... I most definitely remember Nürburgring 2007. I don't remember who it was, maybe Sutil, who skated off due to aquaplaning before turn 1 and actually hit the crane, although very lightly. Had the safety car (nearly stationary in the hairpin waiting for the leaders) not moved out of the way, the spinning race car would have hit it hard.
From Sutil went off at the Dunlop curve until Bianchi went off, nearly two minutes passed. Wasn't that enough time for race control to deploy the SC? Couldn't RC see the huge amount of spray and downpour on their monitors? Didn't they know that most of the drivers were struggling around on the wrong tire compound and furthermore couldn't see anything around them?
