2015: Vettel To Ferrari & Alonso To McLaren

[noddy]

We can only hope he will recovery, but based on the statement issued it seems very unlikely.

Hopefully this will not produce a knee jerk reaction like enclosed cockpits etc, but maybe a safety car to come out when recovering a vehicle who knows.

But as Ferry states a freak accident, F1 cars are built to withstand huge crashes such as Massa and Perez in Canada 20 -25 years would they have walked away? The last death in F1 was a marshal in Canada and that was just down to tragic bad luck.

 

[wombat666]

Blog post by Joe Saward.

You will have to excuse me if I quote from the Editorial Column of GP+, but I think that it best encapsulates the racer’s view of what motor racing is all about and what it should and should not be. It was published beneath the headline “Racing is also this…” just a few hours after Bianchi's accident.

“Of all the Formula 1 racers of the modern generation, Jules Bianchi is the one with perhaps the best understanding of what motorsport can be like,” it says. “He comes from a family that knows only too well about triumph and tragedy. Motor racing is a cruel sport despite the best efforts that are made to try to protect the drivers from all possible dangers. Even with the knowledge and the pain that the family had to endure, Bianchi chose to pursue F1 as his career. He knew what he was doing and we hope that he will be able to one day race again. We have every confidence that the FIA Safety Department will examine the accident in a scientific way and if there are lessons to be learned they will be learned. It is a time for calm consideration. All we can do, all we should do, is wish him and his family the best in these difficult times.”

What is not required at this particular moment is the kind of rampant sensationalism and hysteria that seems that have engulfed the fans and the media, a lot of it based on incorrect assessments of what happened and signals that were misinterpreted. A lot of people are doing a lot of talking and I have seen quotes - misused or not - that I would not expect to see from people who ought to know better. There is no need for any inquiry, independent or otherwise. This all smacks of people trying to take advantage of the circumstances to use the crash as a weapon in political games. What is really required from the sport right now is less clutter and a clear-headed approach to analysing the questions that are being raised about the accident. Science is all about precision and this is what we need. Not waffle.

Adrian Sutil went off on his 41st lap. At the time he was running directly behind Jules Bianchi. A lap lap Bianchi went off at exactly the same place. Sutil went sideways but it seems that Bianchi was going straight. unable to turn the car, presumably because of the wet grass. The fastest men at that point in the race were lapping in 1m54s and 1m55s, which means that the rescue crew had almost completed the job required in the space of two minutes - from the moment Sutil hit the wall until the moment Bianchi hit the rescue truck. That is highly efficient. It was all done under suitable caution lights and flags. Conditions were changing and the track was getting wetter. It was relatively dark because of the clouds that were coming in. However the light signals that the drivers could see were not obscured in any way. There is a reason for everything that was done (before and after the accident). There was no issue with the helicopter. The visibility at the hospital was not by then good enough for the chopper to land. The hospital is close to the track and the ambulance had a police escort and arrived rapidly. It is true that the helicopter did take off at the same time that the ambulance departed, but this was because it was flying elsewhere and had been stood down after the decision to use the ambulance was taken. As far as I can see, everything was done in as logical and correct fashion as possible. There was confusion about the name of the hospital, but these things can get lost in translation and it was swiftly remedied.

The people who are concerned with F1 safety are far more qualified than anyone else to make judgments about the accident – and they are people who say what they think, not what people want them to say. They care about what they do. So we should respect their decisions because who among us is qualified to challenge them? Yes, perhaps those who have been F1 for decades and have seen a lot might attack them if there was something that was obviously a mistake, but that is not the case in this accident.

So all of this other nonsense should be stopped immediately, or exposed as the sensationalism and/or politics that it is. This should not be used as a means of cleaning out the last remnants of the Mosley FIA, nor should it be part of any bigger power politics between the big players. People pushing these agendas should just back off and shut up. And, unpopular though the view may be, motor racing does not – and should not – have to answer to people who know nothing about the subject on which they are spouting forth. I am all for engaging with the F1 fans, but not when one gets into accidents. The real experts are the people running the show and it is arrogant in the extreme for anyone out there on the couches of the world to think that they know better because they saw a green flag being waved and did not understand why.

One needs to look at the accident without emotion and examine every aspect of it: the timing, the flagwork, the electronic flagging systems, the speeds and the attitude of the drivers towards caution signals. Sometimes in life there is no one to blame for something that happens. There are times when there is a need to assign responsibility, but there are also occasions when no-one is to blame. All the officials were doing their utmost to avoid what happened, but it still happened.

Which really sums the entire incident up!
Saward has been around and seen a lot, and writes from experience.

 

[EasyEd]

Hey All,

From: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nasca...diffuse-axonal-injury-in-crash-163258373.html

After the crash, F1 said Bianchi had suffered a severe head injury. A diffuse axonal injury occurs in half of all severe brain traumas according to brainandspinalcord.org.
When someone has a diffuse axonal injury, to say it's not good is a severe understatement. The site says that 90 percent of people with one will never regain consciousness and those that do regain consciousness are "often significantly impaired."

“This is a very difficult time for our family, but the messages of support and affection for Jules from all over the world have been a source of great comfort to us," the family's statement through Bianchi's Marussia F1 team said. "We would like to express our sincere appreciation."


"Jules remains in the Intensive Care Unit of the Mie General Medical Center in Yokkaichi. He has suffered a diffuse axonal injury and is in a critical but stable condition. The medical professionals at the hospital are providing the very best treatment and care and we are grateful for everything they have done for Jules since his accident."
Bianchi's car slid into a tractor that was picking up the crashed car of Adrian Sutil. The track was under a local yellow and before Bianchi had gotten to the accident site drivers were given the sign to accelerate past thre crash zone. The race was run in rain as Typhoon Phanfone approached the Japanese coast.

Unreal - mixed signals and a typhoon - well we'll let the experts investigate themselves...

-Ed-

 

[EasyEd]

Hey All,

It was Niki Lauda who refused to race in the race in Japan in 1976. I knew I red that somewhere.

-Ed-

 

[Panther_99FS]

EasyEd,
As much as you despise F1 & are quick to insult it and it's drivers, why do you even care about this thread?

 

[wombat666]

As usual, the NASCAR Redneck can't get it right.

Niki Lauda started the wet 1976 Japanese Grand Prix and retired after two laps.
Considering the burn injuries he received at the German GP only a few months before, it was well justified, he had virtually no eyelids and simply could not see.

Alain Prost was not prepared to drive in the rain lashed 1989 Australian GP and after extreme pressure he started but 'retired' after one lap.
The race was red flagged after fifteen laps and IMNSHO the conditions were far worse than Suzuka.

Going way back to the 1974 Spanish GP, due to the completely inadequate fastening of the ARMCO barriers, Emerson Fittipaldi stated he would not take part in the race.
Due to pressure from within the team, Emmo started and 'retired' after a single slow lap.

All of the above drivers were World Champions.
It takes a very special form courage to take this sort of action.

But what would I know?

 

[EasyEd]

Hey All,

I decided to look it up since I was just going by memory in my last post - 76 was a long time ago.

From:http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2008/10/07/1976-japanese-grand-prix-flashback/

When the field came round for the third lap World Championship leader Lauda was no longer in the race. And the reason for that was neither a driver error nor a mechanical failure. The Austrian simply drove into the pitlane and decided to call it a day, claiming that it was way too dangerous to race in such conditions.

There were rumours that other reasons prompted Lauda’s retirement. As the result of the burns suffered at the Nurburgring Lauda was unable to blink properly and water was getting into his eyes. The Austrian was immediately followed by Carlos Pace, the Brazilian parked his Brabham in the pits and decided not to participate in the Japanese Grand Prix either.

Yes Lauda drove two laps then parked it due to danger. The eye thing was pure rumour. Another driver parked it as well. I don't know anything about the Prost or Emerson times. You just remember when a driver driving for a championship quits - that kind of thing sticks in your mind.

-Ed-

 

[EasyEd]

Hey All,

EasyEd,
As much as you despise F1 & are quick to insult it and it's drivers, why do you even care about this thread?

You are welcome to your opinion.

I don't despise F1 - The premise for F1 is out of date and I think should be changed to reflect modern reality.

-Ed-

 

[wombat666]

"The eye thing was pure rumor."

 

[Panther_99FS]

The eye thing was pure rumour
-Ed-

“I could see nothing in the rain. It was too dangerous, and after two laps I got out of the car and left,” says Lauda, whose tear ducts had been damaged by the fire, making him unable to blink.

-> http://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...1-driver-Niki-Lauda-and-the-truth-behind-Rush

 

[EasyEd]

Hey All,

Yeah probably both are right given that. He probably said it was unsafe and likely because he couldn't see well. Makes sense. No prob. Be interesting to see what the report on Bianchi's crash says. No change in his condition I take it.

-Ed-

 

[wombat666]

"Diffuse axonal injury is caused by a severe blow to the head that results in the brain moving back and forth in the skull as a result of acceleration or deceleration.The injury can also cause brain cells to die, which results in swelling in the brain.
This increased pressure in the brain causes decreased blood flow to the brain, as well as additional injury.
About 90 per cent of survivors with severe diffuse axonal injury remain unconscious. The 10 per cent that regain consciousness are often severely impaired."

Speaking with Sofie last night, (she's away with MSF in Africa) in her professional opinion, Bianchi has no chance of recovery.
Putting it in the most basic terms, the brain is subjected to immense shearing force, caused firstly by impact, secondly by compression and thirdly by rebound, which literally tears it apart.
Being both pragmatic and compassionate, if she were in charge of this case her advice would be to remove life support, as either projected outcome will be negative.
As she mentioned, Schumacher is an example of a patient who at best will spend the rest of his days in a 'Twilight Zone'.
And just an FYI for EasyEd, my wife is a highly rated 'Medical Professional' with Traumatic Surgery skills (no, Sofie is NOT a 'Brain Surgeon') experienced in RTA cases, presently working with Médecins Sans Frontières in Africa.