2014 Japanese Grand Prix - Suzuka

[ringo]

I point my finger at Jules.
Double Yellows have been waved long before sutil even came out of the car.

The next finger to point is on the information system for the drivers. I think they need two conspicuous lamps in the car that flash whatever colour flag is being waved in an area.
I am assuming that Bianchi did not see the yellow flags. However I figure as much the team would have that information to give him. Whatever the case is, I think Bianchi was going too fast. The kind of damage done had to be a high speed crash.
Some speed similar to Massa's and Perez crash in Canada this year.

I hope the concussion is the extent of his injuries and not a broken neck. I see that the cockpit is intact and the way how it is designed is that the head cannot the snapped outwards and hit a wall because of the thickness of the sides of the cockpit.
I have a hidden confidence that he should recover after receiving some world class care.
It's a sad way to end a stunning race, but somehow I think Bianchi really did himself in with this one.
I wont blame Charlie or anybody else. The only improvements I can think of is a system such a big lights in the cockpit that flash, or Placing bumpers on the cranes or use boom trucks instead of tractor cranes.

[Morteza]

Was Bianchi's accident covered by TV? I was watching the race, but suddenly came the TV ads. After that I saw that safety car was deployed. Had no idea what had happened. I hope Jules' injury is nothing serious. My thoughts and prayers are with him.

[FoxHound]

The problem with the situation is that most teams still stayed out on intermediate tyres.
Button came in for full wets, but Button always seems to be the driver running contrary to others.
If I'm correct, his times were also not much quicker if at all on full wets compared to those up ahead.

[rifrafs2kees]

It seems that Nico's driving style heats the tyres up more, which helps in qualifying but hurts him in the race.

I think he opens the track up more for qualifying. It's the one technique hamilton doesn't employ... The few times button beat him in qualifying ..it was the same thing thing...button would go farther out before cutting in for the apex.

[NathanOlder]

He can't win, but that isn't his target, his target is to keep drivers from very dangerous situations and today he failed miserably. Somehow he thinks that aquaplaning and risking a hit with the barriers is worse then hitting a tractor. Hi age is showing him up, time to go.

And he has done a fantastic job. Its no ones fault. Its just one of thise things. If you want to blame anyone , blame the organisers for not cancelling the race if you think its all to dangerous

He did a bad job, a life is on the line right now. How can you call that fantastic?
And I have already blamed the organizers for not holding the race earlier, in this very thread.

20 years with no one being killed cannot be classed as a bad job.
And if im entitled to you "freedom of speech crap" then im entiltled to say its probably you suffering from Alzheimers. But i wont because making accusations without knowing is pointless and no correct. If your willing to blame him for what happens to Jules, then i hope you thank him for the 100's of races where no one has been hurt.

[ringo]

Why was it charlie's fault?

Double waved yellows and flashing yellow lights were lit.
Job done.

If he is getting roasted over the accident we may as well forget about racing in wet conditions.
And POOF! Just like that wet racing becomes the thing of legend.

That what you want?!

Exactly right. Some people obviously dont like Charlie for one reason or another

Agree, I guess we should blame the traffic authority if we see amber or red traffic lights and risk sailing through them.
No way Charlie can be blamed or the marshals, or the event promoters. No one can be blamed here, this is an accident and it was all born from Bianchi's speeding. Nothing else. Double yellow speeds are much lower than the type of carnage that we have in those pictures; Wet or dry.

[ema00]

They said there are images but those will not be displayed

[Jano11]

One way of avoiding this in the future is using cranes like they use in Monaco, plus add a standardized attachment system to each roll hoop that makes it possible to recover the stranded cars without need to send out the marshals.
Sure it would cost money, but then again life is priceless and F1 isn't exactly short of money.

[prince]

I point my finger at Jules.
I have a hidden confidence that he should recover after receiving some world class care.

I kept watching how Sutil went in there and how other cars have been there in the past and all the time, it was the cars going either side ways or backwards as the oversteer in that corner turns the car around and before the car can take 360 degree, the trap stops the car from further turning. So, I do have a confidence that its not head on as the rear is totally destroyed, driver cocoon remain intact and front left tyre is destroyed after hitting the wall. It is mostly that the car has hit the JCB rearward and an after impact, turned to hit the tyre barrier with left front.

[NathanOlder]

[quote="Jano11]
15 cars need not crash at the same place, two is enough.[/quote]

And as soon as 2 cars crashed, he sent out the safety car. So whats the problem

[CHT]

Is the restriction on radio communication with driver a factor here?

[turbof1]

Hindsight is a weird thing... I don't think you can blame or put responsible to Charlie Whiting; nobody could have predicted that.

But...

Sutil added that he felt the Safety Car should have been deployed after he crashed due to the risk of another driver going off at the corner.

“With respect to this corner I think everyone knows this is one of the most tricky corners and when it is getting late and the rain increases… let’s say when you have an accident there you should probably think about a Safety Car.”

but also:

Hamilton, who won the race, said it was not unusual for the Safety Car not to be used in such circumstances.

“That’s what they do all the time,” he told reporters at Suzuka. “That’s normal protocol just to get cars off the track for safety.”

“If the car was sitting there and someone would have gone off, they’d have hit the car. And there’s the yellow flag, and with the yellow flags you’re supposed to have a big lift, especially when it’s double yellow.”

[Shakeman]

Since we don't have any news on Bianchi...

Did Hamilton just have a better setup for the (wet) race compromising his result in Q or is he just faster

Nico conceded Lewis was much faster today and no mention of setup differences. Nico mentioned the oversteer and said Lewis would've had it too and was not as comfortable with the handling.

[Jonnycraig]

I point my finger at Jules.
Double Yellows have been waved long before sutil even came out of the car.

Bianchi was right infront of Sutil so was the last driver on track to reach that point again

The next finger to point is on the information system for the drivers. I think they need two conspicuous lamps in the car that flash whatever colour flag is being waved in an area.
I am assuming that Bianchi did not see the yellow flags. However I figure as much the team would have that information to give him. Whatever the case is, I think Bianchi was going too fast. The kind of damage done had to be a high speed crash.

They have the flashing lights and have for years.

Bianchi aquaplaned just like Sutil did. It can happen at 50mph, and if you hit the solid steel counterweight on a tractor the car will be in obliterated at low speeds.

[search]

Was Bianchi's accident covered by TV? I was watching the race, but suddenly came the TV ads. After that I saw that safety car was deployed. Had no idea what had happened. I hope Jules' injury is nothing serious. My thoughts and prayers are with him.

they did not show it on TV, no. I am pretty sure it was recorded, but they did not show the pictures. The commentators were clueless for quite a while at least