2014 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix

[E90SLAM]

More details surrounding Jules Bianchi's accident at the Japanese Grand Prix were released by the FIA on Friday during a press conference at the Russian Grand Prix.

FIA president Jean Todt, race director Charlie Whiting, chief medical officer Jean-Charles Piette and medical rescue co-ordinator Ian Roberts all took part in the press conference to answer questions about the accident and the procedures taken by the FIA subsequently. CCTV video clips from Turn 7 at Suzuka were shown to the media of Adrian Sutil's accident the lap before, which brought out the recovery vehicle that Bianchi hit, and Bianchi's accident itself.

Whiting talked through the footage to offer an explanation of how both Sutil and Bianchi lost control of their cars in worsening conditions.

"There is a dryish line [in Turn 7], but as the rain is intensifying a little bit of water crept on to the drier line," Whiting explained. "As cars go a little bit wide there, you see Adrian got onto that and lost control. He just touches that slightly wetter part of track, and he is behind Jules at this point. At that point he hits that slightly wetter bit of track and loses control and spins."

A lap later the footage shows Bianchi losing control and hitting the recovery vehicle.

"You can see Jules doing something similar [to Sutil]. He hits the same bit of water, but he doesn't spin like Adrian did. He over corrects and goes off at a slightly different trajectory."

Whiting said some cars slowed down more than others under the double waved yellow flags, something he wants to address with potential changes in the future.

"A lot of cars came through the double waved yellow sector. There were some that didn't slow down much and there were some that slowed down a lot. I don't think we need to go into the details of how much he slowed down compared to others, suffice that we do have that data and he did slow down but it's a matter of degree."

Whiting said he felt the FIA could not have done anything better.

"An accident on the track is well covered, of course. I think the way in which the marshals reacted, the safety car and the medical car got there in very quick time, the extracation vehicle was dispatched correctly, the ambulance came; nothing could have been done better at the circuit. It's a procedure that we have in place and we know exactly what to do under those circumstances."


Read more at http://en.espnf1.com/fia/motorsport/...q2jjBErw12R.99

[solstice]

Still a driver hit a recovery vehicle and is now in critical condition. Keep patting yourself on the shoulder for a job well done Whiting...makes me sick. I'm sure all the rescue personal did a stellar job but there was serious underestimation of the risks when bringing a rescue vehicle into the path of a spin-out during these conditions. Further more the helicopter couldn't fly. Shouldn't that be a requirement to monitor flight conditions?

Btw agree on closed cockpit being stupid. If that is needed they need to change the name from Formula 1 and can just as well close the wheels as well. That's the level of change it is.

[hellrotm]

I don't see anything wrong with what Whiting said.

[solstice]

Originally Posted by BlackJetE90

I don't see anything wrong with what Whiting said.

It's more about what he didn't say. Following rules is not enough to run a Formula 1 race. There's no rule for everything, there's so many judgement calls required to run a race safely. It's been done for 20 years but when a driver hits a recovery vehicle at the same spot another driver went off in poor conditions that is worsening poor judgement is displayed. It's obvious they try to blame Jules for not slowing enough which stinks in itself but the lack of admitting any whatsoever responsibility from race management is revolting. When rules aren't enough you need management to step up and do the right calls. They didn't and they refuse to admit they did anything wrong. They may have followed protocol but they failed in managing the race safely. Sickening.

[E90SLAM]

What bothers me was they claimed they followed rules but what about experience?
Martin Brundle hit a marshal in 1994 when another car was recovering after an accident.

Weather like last weekend and two cars lost control by same patch of puddle. Race control should know by EXPERIENCE (or past experience like what happened to Martin Brundle), the chances reoccurring accidents will increase exponentially.

Like I proposed previously, race control should review and study improvements on how Formula 1 should run. Under severe weather and safety of drivers and marshals.

[solstice]

Originally Posted by E90SLAM

What bothers me was they claimed they followed rules but what about experience?
Martin Brundle hit a marshal in 1994 when another car was recovering after an accident.

Weather like last weekend and two cars lost control by same patch of puddle. Race control should know by EXPERIENCE (or past experience like what happened to Martin Brundle), the chances reoccurring accidents will increase exponentially.

Like I proposed previously, race control should review and study improvements on how Formula 1 should run. Under severe weather and safety of drivers and marshals.

Agree 100%.

There was also a very questionable situation in the dry at the German Grand Prix with a car stranded on the track and no safety car. I read that Perez wants a safety car anytime a car need to be recovered, even in the dry. From that experience maybe he is right. Maybe the level of management skills and pressure from sponsors and teams, race standings etc. can influence safety too much in these situations and it should be mandatory.

[E90SLAM]

Some good news on Bianchi's condition. There's some improvements. Hope to see him back in the paddock again!

Jules Bianchi is no longer in a coma and has been transferred to a hospital in his native France, his family has confirmed.

Bianchi remains in a critical condition but is breathing unaided and his vital signs are stable after his accident at the Japanese Grand Prix seven weeks ago. The family referred to the news as "an important step" in a statement released on Wednesday.

"Almost seven weeks after Jules' accident at Suzuka Circuit, and following a challenging period of neurological intensive care, we are able to announce that Jules has made an important step," read the statement.

"Jules is no longer in the artificial coma in which he was placed shortly after the accident, however he is still unconscious. He is breathing unaided and his vital signs are stable, but his condition is still classified as 'critical'. His treatment now enters a new phase concerned with the improvement of his brain function.

"Jules' neurological condition remains stable. Although the situation continues to be serious, and may remain so, it was decided that Jules was sufficiently stable to be repatriated to his native France. We are relieved, therefore, to confirm that Jules was transferred aeromedically last night from the Mie Prefectural General Medical Center in Yokkaichi, Japan, to Le Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice (CHU), where he arrived just a short time ago. Jules is now in the intensive care unit of Professors Raucoules and Ichai, where his care will also be monitored by Professor Paquis, Head of Neurosurgery Service.

"We are thankful that the next phase of Jules' treatment can continue close to home, where he can be surrounded and supported by his wider family and friends. We have nothing but praise for the outstanding care provided by the Mie Prefectural General Medical Center since the accident.

"We owe the medical staff there an enormous debt of gratitude for everything they have done for Jules, and also for our family, during what is a very difficult time for us. In particular, we would like to extend our thanks to Doctors Kamei and Yamamichi, and also to Mr Ogura, all part of the team of personnel caring for Jules in Japan."

Bianchi suffered severe head injuries when he crashed into a recovery truck at the Japanese Grand Prix in wet conditions seven weeks ago.


Read more at http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/s...rMuX20zGuDT.99

[dim635csi]

The incident was investigated by a 10-man FIA Accident Panel, which included former Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn, former Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali as well as past drivers Emerson Fittipaldi and Alex Wurz.

They heard that Bianchi hit the crane at a speed of 126kph and the force with which he struck the obstruction was beyond that a Formula 1 car is designed to bear.

A statement from the FIA read: "The semi-dry racing line at T7 was abruptly narrowed by water draining onto the track and flowing downhill along it. Both Sutil, and Bianchi one lap later, lost control at this point in T7.

"Sutil’s car was in the process of being recovered by mobile crane when Bianchi approached Sectors 7 and 8, which include the part of T7 where the recovery was taking place. Sectors 7 and 8 were subject to double yellow flags.

"Bianchi did not slow sufficiently to avoid losing control at the same point on the track as Sutil.

http://www1.skysports.com/f1/news/28...e-suzuka-crash

[E90SLAM]

The FIA has released the findings of its investigation into Jules Bianchi’s crash in the Japanese Grand Prix.

Among the recommendations made by the sport’s governing body are changes to yellow flag procedure, improvements to track drainage and changes to the scheduling of races to avoid local rainy seasons.

Although the report stressed “the characteristics of the wet weather tyres provided by Pirelli did not influence Bianchi’s accident or its outcome in any significant way”, it also advised for changes to be made to ensure wet weather tyres can be adequately tested.

Here are the FIA’s findings in full:

On lap 43 of the Japanese GP, Jules Bianchi lost control of his Marussia in Turn 7, and struck a mobile crane that was recovering Adrian Sutil’s Sauber, which had crashed the lap before. Bianchi suffered life-threatening injuries to his head, and was evacuated to hospital by ambulance.

The weather conditions at the time were rain and a deteriorating track condition, and the section of the track where the accident occurred was subject to double yellow flags, due to Sutil’s crash.

A review of all the evidence and other information about the events leading up to Bianchi’s accident has been carried out by the 10-man Accident Panel, appointed by the FIA. The Panel has issued a 396-page report on their findings with recommendations for improvements, many relevant to all of motorsport. This has been presented to the FIA World Motorsport Council.

Conclusions:

The review of the events leading up to Bianchi’s accident indicate that a number of key issues occurred, which may have contributed to the accident, though none alone caused it:

1. The semi-dry racing line at T 7 was abruptly narrowed by water draining onto the track and flowing downhill along it. Both Sutil, and Bianchi one lap later, lost control at this point in T 7.

2. ||Sutil’s car was in the process of being recovered by mobile crane when Bianchi approached Sectors 7 and 8, which include the part of T 7 where the recovery was taking place. Sectors 7 and 8 were subject to double yellow flags.

3. Bianchi did not slow sufficiently to avoid losing control at the same point on the track as Sutil.

4. If drivers adhere to the requirements of double yellow flags, as set out in Appendix H, Art. 2.4.5.1.b, then neither competitors nor officials should be put in immediate or physical danger.

5. The actions taken following Sutil’s accident were consistent with the regulations, and their interpretation following 384 incidents in the preceding 8 years. Without the benefit of hindsight, there is no apparent reason why the Safety Car should have been deployed either before or after Sutil’s accident.

6. Bianchi over-controlled the oversteering car, such that he left the track earlier than Sutil, and headed towards a point “up-stream” along the barrier. Unfortunately, the mobile crane was in front of this part of the barrier, and he struck and under-ran the rear of it at high speed.

7. During the 2 seconds Bianchi’s car was leaving the track and traversing the run-off area, he applied both throttle and brake together, using both feet. The FailSafe algorithm is designed to over-ride the throttle and cut the engine, but was inhibited by the Torque Coordinator, which controls the rear Brake-by-Wire system. Bianchi’s Marussia has a unique design of BBW, which proved to be incompatible with the FailSafe settings.

8. The fact that the FailSafe did not disqualify the engine torque requested by the driver may have affected the impact velocity; it has not been possible to reliably quantify this. However, it may be that Bianchi was distracted by what was happening and the fact that his front wheels had locked, and been unable to steer the car such that it missed the crane.

9. Bianchi’s helmet struck the sloping underside of the crane. The magnitude of the blow and the glancing nature of it caused massive head deceleration and angular acceleration, leading to his severe injuries.

10. All rescue and medical procedures were followed, and their expediency are considered to have contributed significantly to the saving of Bianchi’s life.

11. It is not feasible to mitigate the injuries Bianchi suffered by either enclosing the driver’s cockpit, or fitting skirts to the crane. Neither approach is practical due to the very large forces involved in the accident between a 700kg car striking a 6500kg crane at a speed of 126kph. There is simply insufficient impact structure on a F1 car to absorb the energy of such an impact without either destroying the driver’s survival cell, or generating non-survivable decelerations.

It is considered fundamentally wrong to try and make an impact between a racing car and a large and heavy vehicle survivable. It is imperative to prevent a car ever hitting the crane and/or the marshals working near it.

Recommendations:

A number of recommendations for improvements have been proposed, relevant in many cases to all of motorsport. They include the following:

1. A new regulation for double yellow flags:

Proposed new Appendix H Article (possibly under 2.4.5.1 b):

The Clerk of the Course will impose a speed limit in any section of track where double yellow flags are being displayed.

It is proposed that a Working Group, made up of FIA Race Directors and Stewards should meet and draw up detailed regulations and guidelines for the application of this new regulation, in time to apply it in 2015 across international circuit racing.

2. Safety critical software:

A review of safety critical software and measures to check its integrity will take place.

3. Track drainage:

Guidelines on circuit drainage will be reviewed, to include drainage off access roads.

4. 4-hour Rule:

Article 5.3 of the F1 Sporting Regulations states that:

However, should the race be suspended (see Article 41) the length of the suspension will be added to this period up to a maximum total race time of four hours.

It is proposed that a regulation or guideline be established such that the Start time of an event shall not be less than 4 hours before either sunset or dusk, except in the case of night races.

It is also recommended that the F1 Calendar is reviewed in order to avoid, where possible, races taking place during local rainy seasons.

5. Super Licence

It is proposed that drivers acquiring a Super Licence for the first time should undertake a course to familiarise themselves with the procedures used by F1 in running and ensuring the safety of an event.

It is also proposed that new licence holders pass a test to ensure that they are familiar with all the relevant regulations.

6. F1 risk review

Consideration will be given to a review of F1 risk, in order to ascertain whether there are any significant holes in the safety defences, such that an unforeseen combination of circumstances could result in a serious accident.

7. Tyres

It is part of the challenge of a racing driver to drive his car as fast as possible given the track conditions combined with the characteristics of his tyres. Although the characteristics of the wet weather tyres provided by Pirelli did not influence Bianchi’s accident or its outcome in any significant way, it is recommended that provision is made for the tyre supplier to develop and adequately test wet weather tyres between each F1 season, such that it is able to supply the latest developments to the first event.

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2014/12/0...port-findings/

[ptack]

Hmm, I wonder - fan video from the race clearly shows a green flag being waved from the tower just past where the tractor was lifting Sutil's car moments before Bianchi's crash. The marshals there continued waving the green flag until someone actually ran up the stars and told them to switch back to yellow. It's easy to imagine that Bianchi's speed was due to seeing the green flag at that point and not double yellows.

[dim635csi]

It was said before, flags apply to the segment _after_ the station. So the one we didn't see had double yellow, and one in flick changed it from green to yellow after Jules accident, because of full course yellow.