Jules Bianchi Update: FIA Says Marussia Driver ‘Did Not Slow Sufficiently’ Under Warning Flags, Resulting To His Accident At The Japanese Grand Prix
Formula One, or F1, racing has taken the lives of many due to the innately perilous nature of the sport, and it isn't only limited to race car drivers because even crew members as well as spectators have been killed in accidents on the track. Recently, Marussia driver Jules Bianchi crashed at the Japanese Grand Prix. The accident had left him battling for life. A new report says that Bianchi could be responsible for his own accident.
According to the statement on the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile or FIA's official site, the accident panel that investigated Bianchi's crash found that the 25-year-old Frenchman did not slow down under caution. Bianchi was reportedly driving too fast under warning flags before the accident.
"Bianchi did not slow sufficiently to avoid losing control at the same point on the track as Sutil," the report said. "If drivers adhere to the requirements of double yellow flags, as set out in Appendix H, Art. 2.4.5.1 b, then neither competitors nor officials should be put in immediate or physical danger."
As a result, Bianchi's car crashed into the heavy crane, which was previously deployed to remove the obstruction from Adrian Sutil's crashed car. The report said that Bianchi pressed the throttle and brake at the same time about two seconds before impact. The brake-by-wire system in Bianchi's car was unable to cut power to the engine. Bianchi was unable to steer the car and he crashed straight into the crane at high speed.
The report said that Bianchi's helmet hit the base of the crane. It was believed that the degree of the impact resulted in Bianchi's severe head injuries.
Due to the accident, a number of recommendations to improve safety in motorsport racing have been proposed, including the double yellow flag rule, safety critical sotware, track drainage, four-hour rule (which means that the race should not start less than four hours before sunset or dusk, super licence (which means that racers should take a course on F1 safety measures), F1 risk review to find out if there are any significant holes in safety defences and tyres that are specifically made for wet conditions.
On Nov. 19, Bianchi's family released a statement via his official Facebook page. The statement said that Bianchi remains in a critical but stable condition. Bianchi is no longer in an artificial coma, breathing unaided with stable vital signs. He has also been transferred from the Mie General Hospital in Yokkaichi, Japan to a medical facility in his hometown France.
