Jules Bianchi’s Father Says There Is No ‘Significant Progress’ In His Son’s Condition 9 Months After The Suzuka Accident

Jules Bianchi’s father, Philippe, has recently spoken about the excruciating agony that their family is going through to witness the Marussia driver in such frail condition following the accident at the Japanese Grand Prix in 2014. Nine months after the tragic misfortune, Jules has yet to regain consciousness due to the life-threatening injuries that he sustained from the accident.

The elder Bianchi told France Info that the pain of seeing his son in a coma is “unbearable and a daily torture.” He said that it was more painful to see Jules suffer now than if the 25-year-old Frenchman had died in the accident because they were powerless to help him in his situation. Philippe added that the doctors were no longer confident of Jules’ recovery.

According to Phillippe, Jules should have made progress in six months, but as the French Formula One (F1) driver is nearing the anniversary of his Suzuka accident, no significant development in his condition has been noted.

“As time passes by, it makes me less optimistic than I could be two or three months after the accident, “or could hope for a better outcome,” Philippe said. He revealed that Jules would sometimes clutch his hand, but he couldn’t figure out if they were real behavioral signs of consciousness or if he was just imagining it. He said that it was extremely difficult to see Jules fight for his life every single day because they were not certain if the Marussia driver will ever be able to come out of coma.

As much as they would love to see Jules back as his old self, he said that it was tough to anticipate the life that awaits the Marussia driver. He added that Jules would not want to live with severe disabilities either. He said that he and Jules used to have a conversation about the possibility of the F1 driver getting into an accident like what happened to the seven-time German world champion Michael Schumacher, who is currently undergoing rehabilitation therapy after a skiing accident in December 2013 that left him in coma for nearly six months. Phillippe said that Jules had told him it would have been difficult to live even if his only disability was not being able to drive. Philippe, who has the words Forza Jules tattooed on his right forearm, also thanked the fans and friends of his son for their continuous support and overwhelming messages of encouragement.

On Oct. 5, 2014 at the 43^rd lap of the Suzuka Circuit, where the Japanese Grand Prix was taking place, Jules lost control of his car and collided into a tractor that was attending to Adrian Sutil’s vehicle after the Sauber driver previously crashed in the same spot. Jules sustained severe head injuries and spent more than a month at the Mie General Hospital at Yokkaichi, Japan before he was transferred to a medical facility in his home town.

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