F1 Japan

[yellowperil]

Interesting race but doesn't sound good for Bianchi. Race ended with 7 laps to go
because of Bianchi accident. Very sombre atmosphere on podium. Up until that, it was an entertaining race. I hope for the best for him.

[sand_man]

Sounds like a nasty crash from accounts I've read on the interwebs. I have not had a chance to watch the actual race. I guess he lost control and hit the rear of a tractor (maybe a front-end loader?) that was there tending to a prior crash in the same spot. SHEEEESH! I'm hoping he pulls through.

[gamin]

+1

[sand_man]

It looked to be a wet race, was there a yellow out or a safety car, for the previous crash? Seems beyond dangerous to allow race speeds while this type of work is occurring!!!

[bell]

Marussia has had very bad luck with support vehicle crashes......Not a joke. .... Just unfortunate. ....
Wishing Bianchi the best. ....

[sand_man]

Formula 1® - The Official F1® Website - Headlines - Bianchi undergoes surgery after Suzuka crash

The FIA statement in full:
"On lap 42, Adrian Sutil 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 guard rail. 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...."

[yellowperil]

Originally Posted by bell

Marussia has had very bad luck with support vehicle crashes......Not a joke. .... Just unfortunate. ....
Wishing Bianchi the best. ....

Yes I had forgotten the De Villota crash into the transport vehicle. Hard luck team for sure. Hope this one has a better ending than the de Villota saga.

Watched this race and Sutil in the gravel first, then an innocent looking accident by Bianchi. BTW the recovery vehicle seemed just barely out past the wall recovering Sutil car. Didn't appear to be in a dangerous spot, but I guess it must have been and I'm certain yellows were being shown. Just got caught out on worn inters, I think, trying to score a good result with a one stopper, maybe. Too bad, hope he makes it.

[rfuerst911sc]

Hoping for the best but it does not sound good at all. Easy to Monday morning QB but it seems like a safety car should have been deployed, not only for the Sauber that ran off the road but the track conditions in general.

[intakexhaust]

Tough situation. Reports are grim.

Lauda's commentary is frank but considering his experiences, is understandable.
"Motor racing is dangerous," he said.

"We get used to it if nothing happens and then suddenly we're all surprised.

"But we always have to be aware that motor racing is very dangerous and this accident today is the coming together of various difficult things. One car goes off, the truck comes out and then the next car goes off. It was very unfortunate.

"In the end the rain was not the real issue of the race. There were safety cars put in and the race was run safe more or less to the end so it could have been run to the end without the accident.

"They started with the safety car and there was nothing wrong, you can't say anything was done wrong. It was started the most sensible way.

"They could have started earlier, there is no question about it. It would have been possible to start the race at one - in the end that would have been better."

[motion]

Out of surgery and breathing on his own. That's good news.

Wishing him and the team well. I really hate to see stuff like this.

[Don Plumley]

Agreed with wishes for Bianchi - really cast a pall over the finish. Interview with Massa said he was screaming about the rapidly deteriorating conditions.

Some outstanding driving in the wet. I love watching races in the rain. Ricciardo had amazing passes in the esses, Ham's pass on Nico at the end of the straight was beautiful. He showed great patience and deserved the win. He said that a win at Suzuka was important to him, shame this tragedy mars it.

Racing is dangerous. Physics is a tough competitor.

[bell]

Apparently every driver had visited the hospital at some point through the evening. ...... hoping to hear good news, f1 is a tight knit community and is good to see the vast majority of comments not even touching on the race itself but only the concern for Bianchi......
The safety technology in f1 cars are outstanding, but throw a big metal Crane into the mix and everything changes. .... perhaps something will be learned from this reguarding track equipment near the cars in questionable conditions, certainly glad that no marshals were hit, as they are usually volunteers/enthusiasts.... was it Montreal when the Marshall was ran over by the heavy equipment when removing a car?

[nostatic]

My last club race was at Infineon and we had a somewhat similar incident, though in our case the safety screw screwed the pooch. At the end of the morning session there was some debris on the track. Checkered was thrown but cars were on the cool down lap. Safety truck stops on track at the base of a blind rise to get the debris. Guy coming over the rise doesn't see the truck and slams into the back hard. Driver had to be airlifted out. He lived but evidently had a long rehab from a TBI.

[lowyder993s]

Originally Posted by nostatic

My last club race was at Infineon and we had a somewhat similar incident, though in our case the safety screw screwed the pooch. At the end of the morning session there was some debris on the track. Checkered was thrown but cars were on the cool down lap. Safety truck stops on track at the base of a blind rise to get the debris. Guy coming over the rise doesn't see the truck and slams into the back hard. Driver had to be airlifted out. He lived but evidently had a long rehab from a TBI.

I remember that one VIVIDLY...Andrew's car was stuffed under the truck...they opened his car like a can of beans to get him out. Glad he made it, only saw him a couple races after that.

[rfuerst911sc]

Maybe track vehicles as large as a crane could have some sort of " safer barrier " on its perimeter for this type of crash. Or maybe this is just a very odd situation of events and we move on as a race community.......

[5String43]

Maybe track vehicles as large as a crane could have some sort of " safer barrier " on its perimeter for this type of crash.

This is a pretty darned good idea, seems to me. Here in California, the Caltrans work trucks deploy large energy-absorbing devices when they're out working on the highways. I wonder if something like that could be adopted.

Poor Bianchi. Very sad.

[Tervuren]

The FIA sending officials to hold up sheets of plastic to block the scene from photographers tells me all I need to know about Jules' condition.

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

Maybe track vehicles as large as a crane could have some sort of " safer barrier " on its perimeter for this type of crash. Or maybe this is just a very odd situation of events and we move on as a race community.......

This will probably be looked into.

[nostatic]

Then do they put up barriers to protect the barriers? This was a bit of a freak accident due to weather. Typically a driver would heed the yellow and the odds of this happening is rather small. But in bad track conditions (rain, lighting, visibility) stuff can go much more wrong. Lauda is right- it is a dangerous sport.

[Tervuren]

Originally Posted by nostatic

Then do they put up barriers to protect the barriers? This was a bit of a freak accident due to weather. Typically a driver would heed the yellow and the odds of this happening is rather small. But in bad track conditions (rain, lighting, visibility) stuff can go much more wrong. Lauda is right- it is a dangerous sport.

It is a dangerous sport, and it was a freak accident. But its not a barrier to protect a barrier. Its about an object not normally exposed to F1 cars and a F1 car meeting with force.

He went under the engine compartment of a front end loader re configured to work with straps to lift and move cars. He did not hit a barrier. If the heavy equipment had of had rear bumper, or a uniform surface, instead of a slope allowing the car to go under, Jules would probably be in better condition. The top roll structure and airbox of the F1 car was sheered off.

I'm amazed at the safety of F1 helmets and cars that he hasn't been declared dead yet. We can hold out hope, but I'm not expecting to hear any good news on Jules.


You can't really blame any orginization for this. However, as I posted, changes may be looked into in reguards to heavy equipment used on a hot track. Weight at the rear is not really an issue, since its a counterweight to leverage against what it is lifting. A rear crash structure to the ground only penalizes the vehicle's use on hilly terrain.

[URY914]

Here is a pic I found. If you think I need to take it down, PM me.

removed - ns