Horrifying footage has emerged showing the moment Jules Bianchi’s speeding Formula One car smashed into a stationary tractor-crane, leaving him fighting for his life in a Japanese hospital with serious head injuries.
The 25-year-old Frenchman was said to be “critical, but stable” after surgery in the wake of the terrifying smash on a rain-soaked Suzuka circuit on Sunday.
The film, posted on YouTube, shows his out-of-control Marussia slamming into the back of the yellow recovery vehicle, sparks flying as the body of the car slides underneath its raised rear end.
Photo: AFP
The impact, which appears to be at about Bianchi’s helmet height, shears off the air intake cover that protrudes above the back of the driver’s head.
Formula One has regularly been rocked by debate over open-top cockpits, which offer drivers little head protection.
In slow-motion, the video appears to show Bianchi’s helmet rebounding violently off the heavy lifting vehicle, which is bounced into the air by the force of the impact.
Photo: EPA
The vehicle was trying to remove Adrian Sutil’s stricken Sauber, which had crashed at the same spot on the circuit a lap earlier.
Bianchi’s parents, Philippe and Christine, were at their son’s hospital bedside yesterday awaiting the arrival of celebrated French surgeon Girard Saillant, who treated Michael Schumacher after his near-fatal skiing accident in December last year.
Nicolas Todt, who is the agent for the young driver, along with F1 veteran Felipe Massa, was expected to arrive later yesterday.
Massa, who visited Bianchi at the hospital on Sunday, himself suffered a serious injury in 2009 when he was struck by a part of another car that had come loose.
Formula One’s governing body, the International Automobile Federation, said the Marussia driver had suffered a “severe head injury.”
Federation press officer Matteo Bonciani told reporters at the hospital on Monday evening: “It should be understood that it is very, very serious.”
In a statement, Marussia thanked fans for the “huge outpouring of support and affection for Jules and the team.”
They said information about the driver’s condition would only be released with the blessing of his family.
“Together with Jules’ care, they will remain our highest priority. Therefore, we would ask for patience and understanding with regard to further medical updates, which will be communicated in conjunction with the Mie General Medical Center in Yokkaichi, where Jules is being treated, when they feel it is appropriate,” the statement said. “Representatives of the Marussia F1 Team and Scuderia Ferrari will remain at the hospital to support Jules and the Bianchi family.”
The race on Sunday was stopped shortly after Bianchi’s crash with championship leader Lewis Hamilton, who was leading at the time, declared the winner.
Organizers have been criticized over the timing of the race, which went ahead despite torrential downpours caused by an approaching typhoon.
Drivers repeatedly complained that they could not see properly because of the spray and the fading light.
“I was already screaming on the radio five laps before the safety car that there was too much water on the track,” Massa said on Sunday. “But they took a bit too long and it was dangerous. So we saw that there were some crashes at the end.”
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