Bianchi Crash Japanese GP

[Scott]

Ok, someone's got to start this thread.  I'll give it a whirl.

Latest reports as I write are Bianchi is in surgery with severe head trauma.  That description is about that last thing you want to hear after an accident.  Hopes and prayers to his family and the whole Marussia team. 

Some won't like it, but I am going to assign blame, and that blame is aimed squarely at Charlie.  I put the charge of negligence clearly on him.  I don't care what Lauda or the rest of the FIA have to say on the matter. 

It's pouring rain and a driver spins off for unknown reasons over the gravel on the outside of a turn.  For me, there is really no question that if the stricken car must be removed for safety, then it is necessary to bring out the Safety Car.  If the stricken car wasn't in a dangerous place to begin with, then there would have been no rush to remove it.  Especially in case of the possibility that the accident was caused by track conditions, which now in retrospect we can say it likely was, since an identical accident happened only a minute or two later. 

The SC SHOULD have been deployed immediately, and BEFORE a large piece of construction equipment is brought out to remove the car.  The FIA must learn that they MUST control a crash scene if it is at all possible to happen again.  For crying out loud, they red flag a race to repair a small piece of guardrail at the British GP for 45 minutes, that only had a million in one chance of being hit in the same place again, yet they think it's ok to wave local yellows in a downpour and drive a tractor out?  It really doesn't make any sense to me. 

I'm all for drivers and engineers learning how to make the cars drivable in severe weather so we don't have to have long SC periods for rain, but if you go to such care to design a track and car that protects the drivers to the extent we've seen them over the past years, then why on EARTH do you introduce a massive and heavy piece of iron to the mix without first controlling the scene? 

Maybe it's time to re-think some more safety.  Either come up with a machine that is properly protected and will absorb the impact of an F1 car, or establish fixed procedures for each track as to how dangerously placed stranded cars are extricated.  At the very least install cranes on outside corners to pick up those cars, and rely on tractors and the rest for the less dangerously stranded cars, or as I said above, figure out a way to properly secure the scene before any heavy machinery is brought out.

There, I'm done.

[J.Clark]

I tend to agree on the subject of the SC needing to be out BEFORE the heavy equipment.

I haven't seen footage of Bianchi's crashing into the scene.

[Ian]

Totally agree Scott, latest report I have seen says that Jules has a severe head trauma and will be transferred to intensive care after the op. As terrible as it is I hope the FIA don't make a knee jerk decision like banning wet races.

[Jericoke]

Totally agree Scott, latest report I have seen says that Jules has a severe head trauma and will be transferred to intensive care after the op. As terrible as it is I hope the FIA don't make a knee jerk decision like banning wet races.

They don't have to ban wet races, just bring out the safety car automatically when there are people or equipment in the racing area.

I'm still watching the BBC coverage of the race that I taped.  Not a word about Bianchi.

[Scott]

Latest update is post surgery he is breathing on his own...positive sign.

[hayleylsl]

The BBC are now reporting that there are conflicting accounts of reports that Bianchi is breathing on his own which makes for an even more worrisome time. I like everyone hopes he will be ok and my thoughts are with him, his family and the team

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/29499545

The safety car should have been bought out as soon as Sutil crashed into the barrier- they've bought out the SC for much less serious things, like the barrier repair at the British grand prix as detailed above- why wasn't it deployed this time? Were they worried about having to end the race early? although from what I can gather the 75% mark had already been passed leading to full points for the drivers and the teams- the 2 hour race time limit was also approaching so could this have had anything to do with why the SC was not bought out?

Wet weather racing is exciting and although the weather obviously played it's big part with the initial Sutil crash I believe it was lack of action on the FIA's/Charlie's part which was the bigger problem

I guess we will get our answers soon, but this incident shouldn't have happened.

[Irisado]

It's very easy for us to sit here and blame Charlie Whiting.  Would any of us made a different call?  Would we have got it spot on?  I think that blaming him is entirely the wrong approach.  He has to make very difficult calls very quickly, and the accident to Sutil was not serious.  For another car to go off one lap later in the exact same spot at such a trajectory as to hit the recovery vehicle was extremely improbable.

To me, we need to look at the bigger picture.  The forecasters had guaranteed appalling weather for the afternoon.  The conditions earlier in the day were much more favourable.  They should have, in my view, changed the start time.  Wet races are great levellers and are a great challenge for the drivers, but typhoon weather is not.  To start the race, even behind the safety car, when they did was daft.  Sometimes the weather has to take precedence over audience figures, and that is what should have happened today.

Also, many people watching in Europe and the US have recorders.  Had it been agreed on Saturday to change the start time, television companies could have made alternative arrangements in plenty of time.  It was a missed opportunity.

Aside from all of this, the main issue is Bianchi's health.  I hope that he does recover.  It's, of course, too early to say, but the initial signs were promising.  I'll await further news tomorrow, as I don't want to get into all of that again at this late hour.  I'll just keep my fingers crossed.

[Ian]

I also put this down to Race Control, given the condition of track, the fact that Sutil was uninjured, it's a tricky bend and the strong possibility that the race wouldn't have gone the full distance there was no rush to bring the crane out, S/C  should have been immediately deployed, the signs would have been activated and all cars would have slowed down and just maybe this accident would not have happened.

[Scott]

No, no, and no Irisado.

Yes, I would have made the right call in his chair, and as I said in my post, it's pouring rain, why do you think it's unlikely to have an accident at the same place?  It's VERY possible, and if the initial cause was a track condition that caused Sutil to aquaplane, then the chance of it happening again is even LIKELY.

Charlie's SC calls have been criticized more and more by pundits who have suggested the timing of his SC calls seem to be more about sporting or TV considerations than just safety.  I suggest this was again one of those times.

You can't just change start times of a GP because a storm is coming in.  The forecasts on Friday and Saturday (correctly) predicted that the bulk of the storm would arrive at Suzuka on Monday, and that Sunday would be scattered showers, which is exactly what it was...don't forget most of the race was actually rain-free, just a wet track left over from earlier rain that was still lightly coming down as the race started (which would have fallen on the race if it had been run earlier perhaps?).  Like it or not, TV is what pays the bills.  It's not just about who can record the race either, thousands of bars and restaurants and their employees depend on the income a 3hr F1 race brings in. The rain wasn't even that bad according to most driver reports, but that part of the track became dangerous obviously. 

And people who are perhaps on holiday, like our dear John, would have set their recording, only to return home and find it full of Coronation Street!  What then?

No seriously, and I am totally serious when I say It is absolutely and completely Charlie's fault that he made a horrible choice and it could very well have cost a young promising driver his career and very nearly, his life.  Read some comments on the web, The vast majority with an opinion are calling for Whiting's resignation.

[Scott]

It's perhaps also a wake up call to go through procedures on track equipment.  As I said before, is a massive front end loader really a practical vehicle to remove an F1 car, and is it perhaps also time to ask us it really a good idea to have ANY vehicle extracting cars from outside of corners where there is even a possibility of it happening again?  Overhead cranes are used at many other tracks, why not for ALL danger zones?

On French TV - Live - Jacques Villeneuve (commentating on the race) was shocked that they brought the crane out without the SC...this was before Bianchi crashed.

[lkjohnson1950]

This is a tough call. Charlie has taken a lot of heat over the years for sending the SC out too often and unnecessarily. Even in this race he was criticized by Lewis and others for leaving the SC out too long at the start. Generally though safety equipment on the track = Safety Car.

 

[Jericoke]

This is a tough call. Charlie has taken a lot of heat over the years for sending the SC out too often and unnecessarily. Even in this race he was criticized by Lewis and others for leaving the SC out too long at the start. Generally though safety equipment on the track = Safety Car.

 

I think that's part of the problem:  he's got such a long history of trying to appease everyone (who doesn't want to make people happy?) that when it comes time to make a critical desicion, he's too encumbered to make it.  It's time for a fresh set of eyes, a fresh interpretation of the rules, and a fresh reputation to build.

I wouldn't want Charlie's job, but I'm willing to bet there are dozens of qualified people who would be ready to take over his job tomorrow.

[lkjohnson1950]

This is shocking video, look fast!!

http://autoweek.com/video/formula-one/video-jules-bianchi-crash-video

[Jericoke]

This is shocking video, look fast!!

http://autoweek.com/video/formula-one/video-jules-bianchi-crash-video

Well, I'm glad that the BBC didn't show that during the race broadcast.

But... wow.  There is no excuse for that to happen in modern sports.

And the marshall in the stand is waving a green flag?  (Or was that some other flag washed out in a grainy video?)

[Ian]

That was one horrifying crash that should never have happened.