850 replies to this topic

[viceroy1]

A Statement from the Bianchi Family
Nice, France
Saturday 18 July 2015
02.45hrs France │ 01.45hrs UK
It is with deep sadness that the parents of Jules Bianchi, Philippe and Christine, his brother Tom and sister Mélanie, wish to make it known that Jules passed away last night at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) in Nice, (France) where he was admitted following the accident of 5th October 2014 at Suzuka Circuit during the Japanese Formula 1 Grand Prix.
“Jules fought right to the very end, as he always did, but today his battle came to an end,” said the Bianchi family. “The pain we feel is immense and indescribable. We wish to thank the medical staff at Nice’s CHU who looked after him with love and dedication. We also thank the staff of the General Medical Center in the Mie Prefecture (Japan) who looked after Jules immediately after the accident, as well as all the other doctors who have been involved with his care over the past months.
"Furthermore, we thank Jules’ colleagues, friends, fans and everyone who has demonstrated their affection for him over these past months, which gave us great strength and helped us deal with such difficult times. Listening to and reading the many messages made us realise just how much Jules had touched the hearts and minds of so many people all over the world.
"We would like to ask that our privacy is respected during this difficult time, while we try to come to terms with the loss of Jules.”

https://m.facebook.c...106786372683524

I know there is another topic for the injury, however I wanted to discuss the ramifications of his passing. What does this mean for the F.I.A. and race control?

Edited by viceroy1, 18 July 2015 - 01:16.

[Alfisti]

The FIA should be absolutely hammered for this. I cannot be bothered pulling it up myself but I have made comments in the past about the insane risks taken in some races. Just last week in Silvestone, marshals are on the track cleaning up an accident with cars absolutely SCREAMING past at full clip, and they are standing on the outside of the corner!! Admittedly it was some distance but still, if someone lost it then someone is dying.

 

For too long they have failed to clamp down on this type of thing and they have blood on their hands. 

[pdac]

For me it means that they have blood on their hands (and some people from Marussia probably do too).

[Wuzak]

And what of the FOM, who demanded the race time slot?

[404KF2]

I say it was the race director who blew the call and his call led directly to this collision.  I said that on the day as well.

[Myrvold]

And what of the FOM, who demanded the race time slot?

 

Doesn't really matter, as it is the medical delegate, and race control that have the responsibility to keep it safe while racing, no matter when they race.
The talk about the medical boss demanding a red flag, when he knew that the helicopter couldn't land and the hospital might be the most damning in this case.

[Jimisgod]

The race director needs to be sacked. What an utter disgrace that an accident like that could happen in modern F1.

 

And every single one of the petulant babies who cried about safety cars better shut the hell up from here on out.

[Ev0d3vil]

The next death after Senna.. Not good after all the safety the FIA has done.. Thoughts are with Jules and family..

[Prost1997T]

Will this be classified as an F1 death?

[Ev0d3vil]

Will this be classified as an F1 death?

I guess so. Since his death is directly related to injury in a race.

[Fondmetal]

Maria died in the same teams car albeit not in a race and of complications a year or so later. Sad day for F1. RIP Jules

[goldenboy]

RIP Jules.. sad day.

[Stugg93]

Although I'm not sure if I'm 100% comfortable with talking about this so soon after his terribly sad death, I think they're were 3 major faults. 1. The race time should not have been put above the lives of drivers, fans and marshals. 2. The race should not have been allowed to continue if the medical helicopter could not take off, unless the hospital was within 15 minutes drive off the race track (I don't believe it was) and 3. When Sutil crashed why did they deem it fit for a double yellow, when tyres were old and the rain falling heavier, with offs off the track more likely and a heavy support vehicle on the outside of a fast corner. I said it as soon as Sutil went off, it should be a safety car. All 3 contributed to Jules death, but personally I find the call for double yellow flags and not a safety car the most damming. 

Edited by Stugg93, 18 July 2015 - 02:13.

[Pete_f1]

I just heard the news on the radio. I was half asleep (it was the 3am news) and as no one else was running the story I hoped I had misheard.

 

RIP Jules Bianchi,   

[LB]

Right woah woah everyone while this is tragic and all I can say is rip jules remember that he ignored the yellows. I'd any lesson is to be learned into the first f1 driver to die in a race in 21 years it's respect the flags. blaming the fia or the organisers is wrong. They didn't do anything bad jules did. I'm not being callous I'm absolutely devistated that we are going through this again and my heart bleeds for the family and the sport but we need a sense of perspective not an over reaction

[LB]

hindsight is a wonderful thing isn't it

[Watkins74]

It was an accident. Trying to blame someone is just misplaced anger and emotion talking.

 

Every series I watch, F1, Indycar, NASCAR has course workers and vehicles on the track when under yellow when cars are still on the circuit.

 

 

RIP Jules

[MattPete]

That crane should never have been there.  

[Equinox1]

Accidents happen. One death in 20 years proves how safe the sport is. 

[Jimisgod]

Accidents happen. One death in 20 years proves how safe the sport is. 

 

Accidents happen when people are so damn incompetent they let a crane out during green running on the exit of a wet corner where someone has already crashed.

 

The complete and utter ****** who made that decision needs to be sacked for ultimately costing one of the brightest young stars in the sport his life.

[Nikos Spagnol]

It was an accident. Trying to blame someone is just misplaced anger and emotion talking.

 

Every series I watch, F1, Indycar, NASCAR has course workers and vehicles on the track when under yellow when cars are still on the circuit.

 

 

RIP Jules

 

In Indycar and NASCAR, a "yellow" most often means a "full course yellow" which is the equivalent to Safety Car in Formula One.

 

Even in street courses in Indy you don't see course workers on the track unless there's a full yellow.

[Ev0d3vil]

Accidents happen when people are so damn incompetent they let a crane out during green running on the exit of a wet corner where someone has already crashed.

 

The complete and utter ****** who made that decision needs to be sacked for ultimately costing one of the brightest young stars in the sport his life.

 

I agree with you, but do not get too emotional about this. Also, the drivers have their part to play too for respecting yellow flags and slow down and be prepared to stop if necessary.

[whitewaterMkII]

I'll not lay blame here, but only wish that Jules' dreams of paradise be all he ever wished for.

Edited by whitewaterMkII, 18 July 2015 - 02:47.

[Prost1997T]

In Indycar and NASCAR, a "yellow" most often means a "full course yellow" which is the equivalent to Safety Car in Formula One.

 

Even in street courses in Indy you don't see course workers on the track unless there's a full yellow.

 

Depends. Toronto had local yellow flags for incidents at turn 3 (just after the fastest section of the track) in both the Indy Lights and Indycar races.

[nvspace126]

So that's 3 deaths related to cranes in F1 in the last three years (Jules, Maria and the track worker in Montreal) - maybe it's time to review the car recover process and equipment.

[maximilian]

Somewhere in a parallel universe, Jules was just announced as Kimi's replacement at Ferrari.

In this universe... farewell...

[SilverArrow31]

Woah, now is not the time to place blame when emotions are running high, It was a freak accident in appalling conditions. Yes the safely car should have been deployed but Hindsight is a wonderful thing, in the there and then, double waved yellows may have seemed like an appropriate decision, and if I remember correctly Bianchi didn't slow down "sufficiently" according to reports, and any idea of blaming Manor for the tragedy is ridiculous, his car didn't fail!

 

No knee jerk reactions from the FIA please, just keep calm and remember a fantastic racing driver, and a Ferrari world champion that never was, He will be missed.

Edited by SilverArrow31, 18 July 2015 - 03:26.

[BoschKurve]

I'm glad all of the oracles here with their crystal balls suddenly know more than anyone. 

 

Hindsight is always 20/20. 

 

You could run that scenario a thousand times and never have it unfold the exact same away as it did for Bianchi.

 

Sad yes, but motor racing is dangerous business. This should be a reminder to everyone. 

 

At least he died doing what he loved. That's more than can be said for any of us when the piper comes calling. 

[HP]

RIP Jules,

 

Accidents happen. One death in 20 years proves how safe the sport is. 

Marshals and tests not included.

[stairpotato]

Damn.

[HP]

I'm glad all of the oracles here with their crystal balls suddenly know more than anyone. 

 

Hindsight is always 20/20. 

 

You could run that scenario a thousand times and never have it unfold the exact same away as it did for Bianchi.

 

Sad yes, but motor racing is dangerous business. This should be a reminder to everyone. 

 

At least he died doing what he loved. That's more than can be said for any of us when the piper comes calling. 

Hindsight is only 20/20 when future incidents like that can be avoided because of lessons learned, regardless of who's fault it was.

[Brother Fox]

For me the blame will always lay with Bianchi himself for not respecting the flags and the FIA for not punishing those who don't in the past.

I really wish he could have pulled through though regardless of it being his fault IMHO.

[Atreiu]

Wet racing with poor visibility and a crane on the outside of a fast corner seems like a recepy for disaster. No hindsight needed.

FIA, FOM, race direction, they are all responsible.

[Myrvold]

For me the blame will always lay with Bianchi himself for not respecting the flags and the FIA for not punishing those who don't in the past.

 

I partly agree with that - even though aquaplaning might make it hard to adjust to correct speed.

 

With that being said, the race should've been red-flagged due to there being no possible use of a helicopter. That cannot be excused at all.

[kosmos]

I wonder if they will have the dignity of having one minute silence on the grid before the race starts or they will sweep it under the rug like they did with Maria de Villota.

[Peter0Scandlyn]

I partly agree with that - even though aquaplaning might make it hard to adjust to correct speed.

 

With that being said, the race should've been red-flagged due to there being no possible use of a helicopter. That cannot be excused at all.

 

From memory, the race should never have commenced, there being no possible use of a helicopter.

Hope no lines are attributed to FIA hand wringing.....

[ConsiderAndGo]

What a sad sad day 😢😔

[Jimisgod]

For me the blame will always lay with Bianchi himself for not respecting the flags and the FIA for not punishing those who don't in the past.

I really wish he could have pulled through though regardless of it being his fault IMHO.

 

No, the blame lies solely with the FIA for holding a race that failed to meet their helicopter regulations and for allowing a crane out during green racing at the exit of a wet corner where a car had already crashed.

 

Your opinion is like blaming someone for leaning on a broken railing that never met the regulations in the first place and had a tiny waning sign placed in a difficult to observe location, rather than being completely taped off like you'd expect in those conditions.

[BoschKurve]

Hindsight is only 20/20 when future incidents like that can be avoided because of lessons learned, regardless of who's fault it was.

 

Incorrect...it's called hindsight for a reason. 

[BoschKurve]

Wet racing with poor visibility and a crane on the outside of a fast corner seems like a recepy for disaster. No hindsight needed.

FIA, FOM, race direction, they are all responsible.

 

F1 used to race in far worse conditions all the time without incidents like this. 

 

Because an incident occurred that was a statistical improbability, people tend to jump on the bandwagon of believing that it was a foregone conclusion that the event in question was going to happen. 

 

If you really look at all of the factors that had to occur in the sequence that they did, to make his rendezvous with the crane possible, it was the perfect storm. 

 

I thank god I lived during a time when F1 wasn't about this hand-wringing over the weather. 

 

There's a reason they wave yellow flags. It's the driver's responsibility to adhere to what the flag determines. 

[Rocket73]

Very sad indeed. RIP JULES

I think the reason why so many are angry is that this was a clear mistake from CW for not calling a safety car. There's no hindsight to it either, I, and surely many others, was shouting at the tv for a safety car. It was plain as day. And yet the 'independent' enquiry found no blame for CW.

So we have a situation where some of the best minds in F1 get together with all the video, reports and telemetry and decide that a crane on the outside of a fast corner in increasingly wet conditions and where someone has already just crashed DOESN'T NEED A SAFETY CAR. Seriously, go figure.

We don't need any new rules we just need the current ones to be used properly.

[Jimisgod]

 

I thank god I lived during a time when F1 wasn't about this hand-wringing over the weather. 

 

There's a reason they wave yellow flags. It's the driver's responsibility to adhere to what the flag determines. 

 

Phew, I was under the impression that actual drivers thought there were wet conditions it just wasn't possible to drive these cars in without sliding because of the floor. Thankfully a guy who has never been near an F1 cockpit has set me straight.

 

How you could have watched decades of racing and not be aware that it's possible to lose control at reasonable speeds in the wet - even slower than a safety car - and crash. This was always going to happen one day as long as the FIA allowed heavy industrial equipment out on the side of the track, like we live in a world of 19th century OHS.

[Talisman]

No, the blame lies solely with the FIA for holding a race that failed to meet their helicopter regulations and for allowing a crane out during green racing at the exit of a wet corner where a car had already crashed.

Your opinion is like blaming someone for leaning on a broken railing that never met the regulations in the first place and had a tiny waning sign placed in a difficult to observe location, rather than being completely taped off like you'd expect in those conditions.

The lack of helicopter cover ultimately made no difference.

It's very sad news but it's not time for emotional flailing around.

My thoughts are with his family today.

[Brother Fox]

Put simply, if he aquaplaned at the proper speed for yellows he would have embarrassingly been stranded in the gravel 10 feet in. End of story.

[BoschKurve]

Phew, I was under the impression that actual drivers thought there were wet conditions it just wasn't possible to drive these cars in without sliding because of the floor. Thankfully a guy who has never been near an F1 cockpit has set me straight.

 

How you could have watched decades of racing and not be aware that it's possible to lose control at reasonable speeds in the wet - even slower than a safety car - and crash. This was always going to happen one day as long as the FIA allowed heavy industrial equipment out on the side of the track, like we live in a world of 19th century OHS.

 

Oh, so then please do point me to your prior to October 2014 posts where you expressed such a concern over industrial equipment on the side of the track.

 

My guess? 

 

You won't, because you can't.

 

Neither can anyone else here for that matter. 

 

It's people looking in the rearview mirror with full knowledge of what happened pretending like they knew this was some sort of eventuality, which is what? That's right, hindsight.

Edited by BoschKurve, 18 July 2015 - 04:47.

[Jimisgod]

Put simply, if he aquaplaned at the proper speed for yellows he would have embarrassingly been stranded in the gravel 10 feet in. End of story.

 

Get back to me with your speed calculations then.

[shonguiz]

May you rest in peace young man and may your family find the strentgh to overcome this tragedy. 

[stairpotato]

Seriously.  Let's not do this today.  A man has just died.

[Otaku]

Phew, I was under the impression that actual drivers thought there were wet conditions it just wasn't possible to drive these cars in without sliding because of the floor. Thankfully a guy who has never been near an F1 cockpit has set me straight.

 

How you could have watched decades of racing and not be aware that it's possible to lose control at reasonable speeds in the wet - even slower than a safety car - and crash. This was always going to happen one day as long as the FIA allowed heavy industrial equipment out on the side of the track, like we live in a world of 19th century OHS.

 

What you say is true, but it has absolutely nothing to do with the actual accident. Jules crashed while doing 212 km/h, under yellow flags, in the rain, while trying to make a turn. He wasn't cruising, and not even remotely slower than a safety car.

If you see yellow flags, keep your foot down on the right pedal, and crash, you can't blame anyone else but yourself.

[Brother Fox]

Ugh! Just had the thought of how Adrian Sutil would feel hearing this news.

Spare a thought for him today too.