Formula One is going through a very rough patch at the moment. Just as the season was headed towards a scintillating climax, tragedy hit!
Formula One is going through a very rough patch at the moment. Just as the season was headed towards a scintillating climax, tragedy hit! Marussia F1 driver Jules Bianchi lost control of his car on the wet track at the Japanese Grand Prix and at the same point collided with a recovery tractor that was working on a already hit Sauber’s Adrian Sutil.
After the race, some of the top riders including Japanese GP winner Lewis Hamilton were in a state of shock. Bianchi remains in a Japanese hospital with horrific brain injuries and is still ‘critical’.
Speaking to the press about the crash, here are what other riders had to say:
Lewis Hamilton, the 2008 world champion: “It’s not easy. It’s a very strange feeling, sat here talking about racing. It’s a difficult weekend.”
Nico Rosberg: “It’s difficult, because it’s shocking circumstances. But there is a job to do. It’s important we keep evaluating the sport and making it safer all round.”
After the crash, the Formula One is facing fresh calls to consider closed cockpits but still, though opinions are pretty much varied about the possible benefits. It is learnt that the cockpit covers were tested by the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) after Brazilian Felipe Massa suffered severe head injuries during the Hungarian GP in 2009.
In 2012, there were some tests carried out using a forward roll hoop, a metal structure placed right in front of the driver but nothing materialised with the FIA. But even though the F1 administrators are leaving no stone unturned to review the crash, they are still at fault! Drivers are still at risk in the cockpits as well as the race tracks and even with the advanced technology at hand, the FIA is still lagging behind as far as safety measures are concerned.
There have been some horrific car crashes and accidents in the past none better than the one suffered to the great Aryton Senna. With that mind, it’s time F1 honchos stepped up the gas in reviewing the safety plans.
