Horror crash

Why wasn't this race stopped?

From what I've read, most other drivers didn't think conditions were too bad. Had the Sutil accident happened without Bianchi's crash following, no one would be questioning if the race should have been stopped. I'm wondering more why he was transported by helicopter.

He was not transported by helicopter, they brought him to the hospital by ambulance car and police escort. Even as the helicopter was there and ready to take off.　They said the helicopter was not safe because of the wind and rain, strange because the helicopter took off later anyway, but without Bianchi. One possible reason is, that if they would have used the helicopter for the transport they would have need to stop the race. (Safety Regulations) And that's what they didn't want to do because FI and Honda (Race organisator) couldn't agree on a new date.

Sorry, I meant to type why wasn't he transported by helicopter. Thanks for clearing that up for me.

Andreas- The helicopter was available - crewed and in the air. The decision to use the ambulance was made by the medical team on the ground based on the nature of the injuries.

One possible reason is, that if they would have used the helicopter for the transport they would have need to stop the race. (Safety Regulations) And that's what they didn't want to do because FI and Honda (Race organisator) couldn't agree on a new date.

The race was 'live' once they'd completed two laps (with half points) and by the time the accident happened they had completed more than enough laps for a full result.

As for the accident, it's a terrible tragedy that it happened but it is a freak accident that he ran into the crane. There have to be serious questions as to why the organisers were so inflexible on the start time as it appears from the outside that they put the fans before driver safety however as has been mentioned above, had Sutil not gone off on the same corner or had Bianchi not span off it would never have been an issue.

Hopefully lessons will be learned, and F1 has come a hell of a long way since the 70s when driver safety was the least of concerns but obviously improvements can continue to be made. And not just to the cars but the way in which the organisers run the races.

I was there, the problem is the track not the rain, Sukuza is banked so rivers of runoff water tracks across the track and there is poor drainage so water built's up in certain areas, this corner being one of them.

Also no one wants to mention that the teams choose to be on intermediate tires rather than full wet tires so when the rain returned later in the race (which was very light!) and the run off started, cars were sliding all over the place. Race organizers demanded all teams start on full wet and the second they took that restriction off everyone changed to intermediate....

The race officials did nothing wrong in my opinion. People are took quick to blame, it was a accident, no one to point the finger at.

Very good point about the intermediates.

Poor man. We all know how fast these "ambulances" drive with their non-paramedic drivers. I hope he gets taken to a decent hospital with competent doctors.

The light was too bad to race in, the rain was too heavy. They either should have started earlier, or set a new date. But money rules everything here, and noone is flexible about anything.

On another discussion board, it was mentioned there had been pressure from a corporate sponsor (i.e. Honda) preventing the race from starting earlier. With the scheduled 3:00pm race start, and sunset at 5:22pm there was less than 2 and a half hours of daylight for the event; poor visibility may have contributed to the crash (in addition to the reduced traction).

Hospitals here are notorious in not having proper facilities or full medical staff out of office hours or at the weekend. The decision not to use the helicopter seems very off to me. I pray that Bianchi gets the best medical care and has someone advocating for him. With the Japanese health care system you have to be on the ball otherwise the outcomes are often not great.

Whoever let this race go ahead should be ashamed of themselves.

3rensho:

Wouldn't moving the race back two hours have resulted in racing in more rain than they wound up racing in? My impression was that they looked at the forecast and saw that the best weather was during the scheduled race time. Perhaps gogogo could comment on pre-race conditions.

...and let's be serious here - yes, there was rain, but it's not the first time there's been rain in F1, nor was it anything close to the heaviest rain at an F1 event.

Heard a breath of a rumo(u)r that Mie General does not have a landing area for a helicopter. As someone hinted above, Japan's ambulances tend to crawl along like snails. Let's hope he had a decent driver and the police escort understood the special circumstances.

Balanced article here:

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/formula1/29497692

nandakandamanda

Part of the problem with that rumor is that there is no such place as "Mie General Hosptal".

There is Suzukachūō General Hospital in Yokkaichi, which seems to be where he was taken. Google maps shows a landing pad.

Second - and more important - if someone is in critical condition with brain bleeding and they need surgery to lower the pressure (as is the case here), you absolutely do not put them in a helicopter. Changes in altitude = extra pressure on the brain.

Putting him in an ambulance vs. helicopter was the exclusive decision of the medical staff at the scene. Bianchi's condition was such that a helicopter ride could have killed him.

Thanks hokkaidoguy for the correction and information. I wasn't sure of the correct hospital name, only that Mie was quoted in the title. I have been to Suzuka, the GP, Yokkaiichi and Tsu City many times. It is a long way to any serious urban area on those roads in a slow ambulance, but I understand why it was their remaining choice.