Apparently there should be some sort of an update on his medical condition today. Edit: The family's statement and an explanation of his current condition. Also Dr. Hartstein's thoughts on the diagnosis... http://www.marussiaf1team.com/news/1035/ http://www.brainandspinalcord.org/traumatic-brain-injury-types/diffuse-axonal-injury/index.html http://formerf1doc.wordpress.com/2014/10/07/diffuse-axonal-injury/
Yeah, the description in the statement could cover everything from a concussion to vegetative states. But because they have used severe is previous descriptions it makes me think it is more towards the latter. I truly hope not and I think that is what the doctor is saying as well. Hope.
I'm totally with you there. Fear, but hope. http://willthef1journo.wordpress.com/2014/10/07/sunday-in-suzuka/ http://www1.skysports.com/f1/report/28593/9504602/jules-bianchi-still-critical-but-stable-after-second-night-in-intensive-care
Every procedure and regulation was followed to perfection. There are no fingers to point towards irregularities. You can always add more regulations but how and which? There were 4-5 wasteful SC laps in the beginning - I was pulling my hair out! The sport is already over-regulated in my opinion. Or perhaps not regulated correctly then. On the note that he might not have seen the flags... The steering wheel also lights up. A lot. That would be harder to miss... Possible though... Then they must make something that can go into the helmets - a row of LED's or whatever... There's no spray in there. Get on with it. He shouldn't be driving as fast as he did in that yellow sector. If he hadn't hit the recovery vehicle, he could have hit one or more marshalls. The tyres and the speed carried, is the key for me. It is what is: massively unlucky. It has happened before. What do you want to happen? What do you want to be done? Stop racing in the rain? It is the only solutions to 100% avoid stuff like this. Scratch that, it can even happen in the dry. Recovery vehicles can't be avoided if you want a well-flowing, continous race session. I still believe that forcing on full wet tyres would have made the likelyhood of this accident and turns of events much, much lower. On Bianchis state... I read somewhere that 90% of people involved in heavy/severe DAI end up in a really bad state, never regaining conciousness... I hope to see some more uplifting news at some point.
That's not really how aquaplaning works, the driver plays no part. It's purely random, and that's a large part in why all the drivers were disturbed, it could literally have been any of them. That corner in particular during heavy rain develops a stream of water. That's why drivers were unhappy about the race not being stopped before that. That's why Brundle went off there in 1994, why Sutil did and probably why Bianchi did (impossible to ask him). The water catches people there every time it rains heavy enough, regardless of speed. I've aquaplaned at 40mph before and my road tires displace a decent amount of water compared to F1 and the speeds they carry even going 'slowly'.
I agree on that Tim, one moment you are doing fine and the other the aquaplaning has got you. No matter how good of a driver you are. At the moment when there is to much water on that part of track or road for that matter, and the car starts floating.....well the driver is just a passenger in his own car. I really really hope Bianchi is going to be okay someday, and wish him, his family and loved ones all the best in the world. Guido van de Garde, also F1 driver said this to the Dutch news (sorry if English isn't good but translated by google) "You then see the photos and images on the move, there were reports that he was on his way by ambulance to the hospital. Eventually you will have quickly realized that something has tragic happened . I have seen the images and movies twice and that's enough . you should not be looking too much at them , because you will not be happy. " " It was a quick turn. And besides it was wet. Therefore Sutil was also already been flown . , You know that this can happen . Course, it is double yellow. You need to go off your gas. But if you're facing a 'river' and touch it and you come into a spin, then you immediately lose all control now . That's probably what happened. "
Sure it can seem random, but you can do something to try and manage the risks. Lower the risks by being on a more capable tyre. And reduced speed also helps. Don't know if it's already there in the Dunlop curve... Cutting grooves in the surface could maybe help draining... But it might be futile due to the slopy nature of the corner...
The SC laps at the beginning were in no way wasteful. They served to removed water from the track making aquaplaning a lot less likely. Unless you want a repeat of Spa 1998 this is the way to go. Patience goes a long way. The sport is "over-regulated" because it needs to be, regarding safety. Back when it was a lot less regulated a lot more drivers were maimed and killed. So over-regulation is probably the way to go if we want our heroes to stay alive and racing. Wouldn't forcing full wets make it even more "over-regulated" or is that a different case..? Do you think that the drivers eyes were fixed on their steering wheels or on the road ahead, trying to see through the mist, spray and darkness? Where would your eyes be in that case? Mine would be on the road ahead, that's for sure. The dash display on the wheel lights up with all different kinds of lights all the time, not sure I would notice a little yellow one coming on while trying to keep the car going in these conditions. He was accelerating hard right up until the point where he lost it. Had he been aware of the lights or flags I don't think he would have. I don't know who says to stop racing in the rain. I certainly don't. I say that the SC should have been deployed immediately after Sutil's crash. Other drivers seems to have failed to see what was going on where the crashes happened. They only slowed down right after the site. And yes aquaplaning is purely random. It can befell anyone at any time no matter the tire used. There was nothing strange about being on inters at the time, most of the field was, because it was right in the cross-over point. The race was coming to its ending and nobody would want to have an extra stop. That's the nature of racing.
So on lap four when both Hamilton and Ricciardo said the conditions were fine to race in, they were utterly wrong? And on lap 5 and on lap 6 and on lap 7 and on lap 8 and on lap 9? That SC was deployed waaay too long. On lap 6 Hamilton started pleading directly to Charlie Whiting to get a move on... I insinuated it might be over-regulating, yes. But like I said, I already find it well-regulated... There's peripheral vision, and it's not just one pecky LED... It's three in each side of the top of the steering wheel. But it entirely possible to miss it... That's why I suggested something in the helmet... The SC could have been deployed for sure... But then we could just do this: Aquaplanning isn't just random... There are factors playing parts, all the time. And you CAN manipulate those to minimize risks. Cross-over point? And a bit over it... Kevin changed for full-wets and was hauling ass, catching Ricciardo and Button immediately - full wets were much faster. I know it's the nature of racing... That's why I'm playing with the thought of having forced wet-tyres on - equal for all and more suitable. But again it's hard to judge when that is - same with deployment of Safety Cars.
No it isn't and you are right that there are factors playing part. But you can feel confident and then all of a sudden it will get you, no matter what. It just has to do with the amount of water on that part of the track/road. That is what i tried to say. Driving 50k+ every year around Holland (often wet conditions) i have experienced aqua planing many times. Alway felt confident and always got struck by it. Fortunately never anything bad happened. Sorry for OT.
well, I wouldn't argue that aquaplanning can happen at lower speeds, however, any accident will very likely be less violent when going slower..... Now thinking in solutions, what can be done..... off course, one thing that can be done, and quite easily so, is have a Safety-car for every single crash/stranded car. It for sure would be safer, but it ruins the race for some, and can give others an unfair advantage. And with current rules, I really hate safety-cars because they take forever, especially when cars have to unlap themselves. Although safer, I'm not to keen on this solution. So maybe if you have it that way, but a bit less harsh, so for instance not for every single crash, but in addition to the current situation (if the car is in a really dangerous place), also allways put out the SC when a truck/tractor has to come in front of the barrier. It will still ruin the race for some people, but it is better then above situation. (Especially with just a car that broke down, and is right next to a gap in the barrier, nowhere near a place where people are likely to have a crash, for instance on a straight). You can still go a bit less harsh, by only applying the above in rain situations, although that still might cause some dangerous situations in the dry (but in the dry the drivers aren't very likely to go off under yellow, and still be to much out of control outside off the track the steer clear of such truck/tractor). Although I think that would be a great for the actual race, I don't think I would prefer it this way, after seeing what happenned to Bianchi. But probably the best option I can think off (besides replacing all those trucks/tractors by cranes that stand behind the barriers), is something I did first hear off in the 24H of Dubai, and then previous year at Le Mans. In the 24H of Dubai, when there is an accident, they don't use a SC, but they display a special flag (see at bottom of this post), indicating a 'code 60', which is used as more fair alternative to a SC. During a code 60 all cars on the entire track may not drive quicker then - who guessed it - 60 km/h. That way the racing isn't disturbed nearly as much (if you are half a minute in front, you will keep more-or-less the same gap once the track goes green again. Pretty fair, and very safe. Then at Le Mans this year they improved it a bit, by only having a 'slow-zone' near the accident, so that only on the place of the accident you have to drive slowely (their speed had to be 80 or less I believe). In my opinion that would be the best way for F1. Wherever, whenever a double waved yellow is needed, drivers in that area should only be allowed to drive on the speed limiter. (with a bit of a margin ahead of the accident, so that drivers that might miss it the first time might even get a second or third time to slow down, while off course gaining a penalty for failing to slow down the first tim ) I do think though, that this should only be used at any given time a marshall is needed in front of the barrier, or at the very least in case of a truck/tractor in front of the barrier (but not on the actual track itself). When the car or lots of debris is still on track, I do think the SC should still come out in addition the the above rules (so when not in SC cue you'd still have to drive slowly), so that the trackmarshalls have space between the cars to go safely on the racing surface (instead of possible having one car pass every 5-10 seconds, which would still make crossing the track dangerous for marshalls). I think a speed limit like mentioned above would work way better then current situation. Cars hardly slow down right now. You clearly lose time by slowing down, and you don't want to lose more time then your opponents. So one goes a bit quicker then the other, and then next lap to go even faster etc... Every driver would try to go as fast as they think they can get away with. And then they all drive at the same speed, next one tries to go slightly faster, and since he doesn't really stand out to the rest, he doesn't get a penalty, and the rest go drive that speed as well. You can't leave it to the drivers to reduce to a slow and safe speed. I've had that with Go-Karting as well. Everyone keeps going nearly flatout (maybe sometimes braking slightly earlier). I never felt completely comfortable doing so, but still did, because when the difference in lap times is only a few tenths, losing one or two seconds during a yellow, you'll hardly ever gain back. Most of the times it was safely possible, but even when marshalls are just on the exit of the corner speeds remain high. You can't leave it to the drivers to slow down enough, I think you'll need a hard limit, then no-one gains from it, the situation will be safer, and you can easily penalise those who don't obey (especially in F1, and other top classes, with live data/telemetry available) EDIT :: whoops, turned out to be a quite long post, sorry about that. I think it should be a good read though, maybe a new perspective for some And I also forget to add the flag I mentioned, so I will show it now below
From the telemetry, Sutil was right behind Bianchi when he went off. I can't help but think that Bianchi may have noticed that and then paid some extra attention to Sutils car when coming back through, losing enough concentration to contribute to his own crash. As unlucky as he was to hit that loader, he also hit it in the most perfect way. The height of the loader and the chamfer on the back was perfect to drive his tub into the ground and lift the loader (further aided by having Sutils car on the hook) to help dissipate the energy slower without completely crushing his tub. If he hit any other way, especially between the alxes, no chance. Best wishes Jules. Please get well.
True, but head on collisions are actually pretty safe in F1, so if he hit the wheel dead on, he would have probably walked away. Its because the "ride height" of the tractor is exactly where drivers head is, there is no structure on the car to stop it, except of drivers head, and after that the air intake. Bianchis car ended up with the air intake shaved off and basically his head rammed into the seat downwards. I am pretty sure that 10-20 years ago the helmets would not stand a chance to windstand this and he would be done for instantly. Its amazing how safe todays gear is. I trully hope he will recover
A short notion on the idea of having 'slow zones'. Potential problems and dangerous situations could arise when drivers try to not lose time coming into that zone. Some will brake as late as they possibly can because the race is still on. They can maybe gain a lot of time that way. Others will be more cautious and slow down earlier creating a dangerous situation for those late breakers behind. Worth to think about.
Obviously, it's not the time to be pointing fingers. Our main concern should be the recovery...if there is to be one, of Jules Bianchi. Reading the medical updates today, do not offer the level of encouragement I'd hoped for with the increase in time. It's very grim. What the governing body has to do from this point on, is to come up with a solution everybody can live with. I don't know what that will be. All I know is they have to come up with something. It'll have to be a collective effort. It'll be really hard to take seeing his 'light' go dim in F1, after all of the accolades and praise be-stowed upon him as a driver and more importantly...a person. What's harder to take is that had he not gone under that mover, he'd probably have walk away with bruises. On a different note, I do like that his family have decided to update his fans and the public at every instance they can. It'll prepare them for any severe eventuality, should it occur.
I'd also love for this discussion to turn away from the finger pointing. It's inappropriate and I'm not one to say what to do. It's just a desperate reaction to an awful situation. All I really think about is that poor young man. It's impossible to accept that this has happened to him. I'm going to have such a bad feeling inside all through this upcoming race weekend...
If Todt said the truth about Michael then we can really hope the best for Jules too. Yeah, very different diagnosis but for me will be a miracle to see Micheal in a "good" shape again after his horrific accident.
Sadly it looks like Todt's words were translated very poorly and Michael's situation is probably still very challenging even though there have been some improvement. But yeah, sometimes miracles do happen. Take for example Richard Hammond's Vampire dragster crash. You can read more from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Hammond Regarding to that horrible accident of Jules'. I don't think you can point any individual of not doing enough for the sake of safety. I mean safety has taken huge steps and we've all seen those crazy accidents where drivers are walking away basically without a scratch on them. But this crane/truck thing without safety car on track... it's just something I've never understood and been very afraid many times. There have been so many close ones before which many of you here already mentioned. I'd be very surprised if rules are not changed in near future. IMHO it's simple: if there is no big crane outside of the track fences (preferable situation) then safety car should be deployed and truck should wait until all cars have packed behind SC. If it's wet then safety car should always be deployed (because trackside workers are in danger too). At dry track (without oil puddles etc of course) I think double yellows would be enough. And speaking about yellow flags I think those traditional flags should be replaced by these modern very bright LED-lights. Traditional flags only for backup. Just my two cents.
Very sensible Keikei. There's a reason there are runoff areas, tirewalls, softwalls, gravel, etc. all for safety. once you add a bigass 10ton vehicle in front of those safety measures you actively created a safety hazard in a zone where it is already questionable to begin with because there was an accident.
