Formula 1...

[Capricorn]

How's that french driver Jules Bianchi doing?

[Iwan Kemp]

Its been reported that the operation was a success and that he is breathing on his own, although still in a coma.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

I missed the crash. What happened?

 

Yes. I missed the first lap. Something to do with mickey mouse

[Iwan Kemp]

Spun out in the same spot as Sutil did. Slid under the recovery tractor that was busy removing Sutil's car. Airbox off, not a wheel on the car. "Severe head injury". No one has posted any photos of the wreck or recovery. 

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Oh feck... that's not good. 

[Steven Knoetze (sk27)]

Its been reported that the operation was a success and that he is breathing on his own, although still in a coma.

Unconfirmed unfortunately.

I hope he is alright, they focussed on him in the first red flagged time before the strat of the race which was weird.

['Dale]

Spun out in the same spot as Sutil did. Slid under the recovery tractor that was busy removing Sutil's car. Airbox off, not a wheel on the car. "Severe head injury". No one has posted any photos of the wreck or recovery.

Eish!

[Iwan Kemp]

We have a small, yet somewhat positive update regarding Jules Bianchi.

http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/bianchi-moved-to-icu-following-brain-surgery-as-more-details-regarding-crash-emerge

 

Jules Bianchi has come out of surgery and has been moved into an intensive care unit. He continues to breathe on his own and doctors are closely monitoring him on a 24/7 basis.

 

How he crashed

Some new information has surfaced regarding the crash itself. According to witnesses and multiple credible journalists at the track, Bianchi started to lose the rear of the Marussia and tried to correct. Like Kobayashi in practice, he overcorrected and leaped over most of the gravel trap, so the car maintained a lot of its momentum. There is apparently video of the crash, but it's being withheld for obvious reasons.

 

Damage to the Marussia and photo

When he struck the back of the tractor, the left side air-intake was shaved completely off and the entire rear of the car was decimated on impact. There was also some major damage to the front end of the car.

 

Photos showing the accident scene and damage very clearly. You can also see a stunned Adrian Sutil looking on in horror. It's quite a powerful image (look to the filmstrip on the left).

 

Bianchi's injuries

The impact is estimated to be upwards of 50Gs and along with the extensive damage to the car, there was also minor, yet, visible damage to the left side of Bianchi's helmet. His father Philippe told French news outlets that his son suffered some level of subdural hematoma. However, the FIA and the Marussia F1 Team have yet to give an official statement with any detailed information regarding his injuries.

 

http://cdn-5.motorsport.com/static/img/mgl/1700000/1770000/1771000/1771900/1771925/s8/f1-japanese-gp-2014-adrian-sutil-sauber-f1-team-looks-on-as-the-safety-team-at-work-after.jpg

[Iwan Kemp]

This was followed by news that Andrea de Cesaris died in a bike accident. 

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CCLjSTPGj0E/T-2PaLLPDNI/AAAAAAAACiw/f5BGXrOf7Lo/s320/Andrea%20de%20Cesaris.jpeg

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

This was followed by news that Andrea de Cesaris died in a bike accident. 

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CCLjSTPGj0E/T-2PaLLPDNI/AAAAAAAACiw/f5BGXrOf7Lo/s320/Andrea%20de%20Cesaris.jpeg

RIP. So sad....

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

And jeepers. That's one HELLUVA stack!

[Iwan Kemp]

... they focussed on him in the first red flagged time before the strat of the race which was weird.

 

They were talking about him and his chances to move up the grid with the driver shake-up on the international feed.

[GoLefty!!]

Vettel definitely going to Ferrari. There was a pre-race interview, where it was asked if he was heading to Ferrari. He said he couldn't comment, but he had this huge, guilty smile when Ferrari was mentioned.

  I'd say 75% chance its Ferrari But that smirk could also mean "aren;t you going to be surprised when it's announced I'm off to McLaren."

 

There's an outside chance its going to be Vettel and Alonso at McLaren. Hona are keen to have both

 

What makes Ferrari a good choice for Vettel is that Maranello is closer to home (Switzerland  than England so he get to spend more time with partner and baby daughter at home.

[Iwan Kemp]

  I'd say 75% chance its Ferrari ...

 

With you here. Also remember that Hamilton is / was the only top driver who's contract is actually up for renewal and he hasn't signed.  Merc has gone from 100% sure to saying they are 99% sure their line-up won't change.

 

Still think it would've been in Alonso and Ferrari's best interest to stick out another year. Next year will be James Allison's first Ferrari and the guy didn't too bad with the underfunded Lotus.

[SwissVan]

At the moment the politics is imo better than the racing at the moment, especially regarding Ferrari, Vettel and Alonso

 

Last month i saw this interview on the Sky Formula one channel and could not help thinking that this new boss Mattiacci does not like Alonso, you need to hear the way he said "I don’t have to keep Fernando Alonso happy. We are not here to look for happiness; we are here to look for the fastest cars"

 

Maybe it was the language factor (Italian speaking English) but If I was Alonso I would have taken serious offense just to the tone used.

 

What was said then doe snot tie up exactly with what appears to be have been said this weekend.

 

Here's a part of the interview, could not find it in video

 

MB = Martin Brundle

MM = Marco Mattiacci

 

MB: How can you keep Fernando Alonso happy and in contract?
MM: “I don’t have to keep Fernando Alonso happy. We are not here to look for happiness; we are here to look for the fastest cars.”

MB: And then that’ll make him happy, but that’s a decision he’ll make…
MM: “I’m here to make him competitive, not happy.”

MB: But he’s pivotal is he not to your grand plan, your three-year target? He’s perceived to be by many people in this paddock the best driver…
MM: “Fernando is already under contract with us, so it’s not an issue that I have on the table…”

MB: Long-term?
MM: “He has a contract until 2016, so…”

MB: To the end of ’16?
MM: “Yeah.”

MB: So it’s not an issue then? He’s an employee, he’s got to keep you happy?
MM: “He’s not an employee, he’s a talent. Nobody in my team is an employee, we are all talent and first of all human beings with a great passion. I don’t believe in classifying people like Fernando, anybody in the team, as an employee."

MB: Do you think there’s been in recent years a culture of having scapegoats or sacrificial lambs where good people have been dismissed out of Ferrari because somebody had to take the blame?
MM: “No. As I said, I worked in Ferrari since 15 years, I’ve been watching and following Formula 1 and I didn’t see any scapegoating, honestly. I would say there’s been great continuity and probably we didn’t change enough. But not scapegoating, it’s a different style.”

MB: Kimi Raikkonen, last time he was at Ferrari, he was basically paid to go rallying. Then he came back and did a great job at Lotus. He’s had a difficult season back here at Ferrari, how do you view his performances?
MM: “I see this like when you hire a great striker in football and for the first six, seven matches they are not striking and you are waiting and then suddenly they will do an amazing season. I think Kimi, we have seen in Hungary, we have seen even in the last 48 hours [during practice and qualifying at Spa, where he went on to finish fourth, his best result of the season so far] we have seen he is an extremely talented driver.

“I don’t think we did an excellent job in putting him in condition to express the best of him. For sure, he has been suffering a little bit the car that we have for his driving style that he has, but I think it’s a combination of factors that didn’t bring him in the top five, six drivers. But I strongly believe in Kimi.”

MB: Will you have the same driver line-up next year?
MM: “Yeah.”

MB: Unquestioned?
MM: “Yes.”

 

 

The rest can be read here:

 

http://www1.skysports.com/f1/news/22058/9444408/exclusive-marco-mattiacci-qa-sky-f1s-martin-brundle-meets-ferraris-new-boss

Edited October 6, 2014 by SwissVan

[Iwan Kemp]

Everyone gets Ferrari drive by Sniff Petrol on Monday, October 6th, 2014

http://sniffpetrol.com/2014/10/06/everyone-gets-ferrari-drive/

 

With Sebastian Vettel expected to reveal his move to Ferrari at any moment, Fernando Alonso has shocked F1 followers by announcing that he is to stay at the Italian team for 2015 to race alongside the German driver, and also Kimi Raikkonen who simply cannot be bothered to get out of the car.

 

Matters are further complicated by news that Lewis Hamilton is preparing to renege on his contract with Mercedes and will also join Ferrari for 2015. ‘Every driver secretly wants to race for a certain Italian team,’ the Briton said this weekend. ‘And I don’t mean Andrea Moda.’

 

As if that wasn’t enough, factory sources say boss Sergio Marchionne believes only someone of Italian descent can raise morale at the team and has personally bought Daniel Ricciardo out of his Red Bull contract so that he too can race for the Modenese team next season.

 

Ricciardo will be joined by surprise signings Sergio Perez and Esteban Gutierrez, both hired in secret by Marco Mattiacci because he ‘really likes Mexican food’, and shock recruit Luca Badoer who was accidentally promised ‘one more go’ at F1 racing in a drunken but legally watertight agreement with outgoing Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo.

 

In unrelated news, Ferrari has said it ‘does not oppose’ the suggested move to three car teams and would be ‘very happy’ if this was expanded to ’10 or maybe even 12 cars each.’