After a Horrific Crash, F1 Ponders What More It Must Do to Protect Drivers

http://www.wired.com/2014/10/f1-safety-jules-bianchi/



Jules Bianchi of France and Marussia receives urgent medical treatment after crashing during the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit on October 5, 2014 in Suzuka, Japan.

After a Horrific Crash, F1 Ponders What More It Must Do to Protect Drivers
By Jordan Golson
10.10.14 | 2:03 pm

The mood in Sochi, Russia, is somber as Formula 1 prepares for what should have been an exciting weekend marking the inauguration of a new track. Instead, drivers, race officials and fans await any word on the condition of Jules Bianchi, who was critically injured in a horrific crash five days ago in Japan.

Formula 1 has long prided itself on its dedication to safety, and indeed the sport has seen drivers walk away from truly frightful crashes in recent years. Not one driver has been killed since Ayrton Senna died at Imola in 1994, a tragedy that brought great advancements in safety. But Bianchi’s crash, during a rain-soaked race at the Suzuka International Racing Course, has brought a moment of self-reflection as the sport ponders what more might be done to protect drivers who hurtle around tracks at upward of 180 mph in open-cockpit cars that have no roof.

“If something happens there is always the chance to learn something and avoid it happening,” four-time champion Sebastian Vettel said. “But you have to understand that with the cars we race, the speeds we travel, accidents can happen.”

Indeed. Rare is the race without a mishap. But Bianchi’s crash was truly terrifying. The 25-year-old Frenchman, a driver for the Russian team Marussia, suffered a severe brain injury when his car slammed into a tractor removing another wrecked car from the track. Bianchi remained in critical but stable condition Friday at a hospital in Japan where, his father said, “he is is fighting as he always did, the same way as if he was racing. He is strong.”