Official: Bianchi suffers from a “severe head injury” (update 2)
The FIA issued a press release to clarify the circumstances of Jules Bianchi's accident and to explain that the French driver is currently undergoing surgery for a serious head injury.
After announcing, through the voice of its spokesperson Matteo Bonciaci, that Jules Bianchi had been evacuated unconscious from the Suzuka circuit, the FIA issued a press release to specify the circumstances of the accident as well as its aftermath. Here is the full statement.
In the 42nd lap, Adrian Sutil lost control of his car, spun out, and hit the tire wall on the outside of turn 7. The marshals waved a double yellow flag before the turn to alert the drivers about the incident. A recovery vehicle arrived to lift the car and safely place it behind the safety barrier.
While this was being done, the driver of car 17, Jules Bianchi, lost control of his car, crossed the run-off area, and hit the rear of the recovery vehicle. Once the marshals indicated that the driver was injured, medical teams were dispatched, and the safety car was deployed. They were followed by an extraction team and an ambulance.
The driver was extracted from the car, taken to the circuit’s medical center, and then by ambulance to Mie General Hospital. The scan showed he suffered a severe head injury and he is currently undergoing surgery. He will then be moved to an intensive care unit where he will be monitored.
Mie General Hospital will issue a statement as soon as additional information becomes available.
The website of Gazzetta dello Sport published a photo showing the damage to Jules Bianchi’s car, moments after his accident, with a FIA doctor already on site. It is possible to see that the force of the impact tore off part of the roll cage.
L’image de Jules Bianchi dans sa Marussia après l’accident (Foto Colombo via @Gazzetta_it) #F1 #GPJapon pic.twitter.com/939Xy6UIDs
— itele (@itele) 5 Octobre 2014
Update at 3:30 p.m.: Julien Fébreau, journalist and Grand Prix commentator for Canal +, stated on his Facebook account: According to the Ferrari press officer with whom I just spoke at the hospital, Jules Bianchi’s operation has just been completed, but no news on his health status has been communicated yet.
Update at 4:30pm: The Mie General Hospital, where Jules Bianchi was operated on, indicated that it would not provide updates on the Marussia driver’s health status during the night, in order to respect the family’s wishes according to information from RMC.
