F1 News Update: Jules Bianchi’s Crash At The Japanese Grand Prix Halts His Ferrari Career Opportunity

By Staff Reporter | Oct 06, 2014 02:05 PM EDT

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After his ill-fated crash at the Japanese Grand Prix, French Formula One driver Jules Bianchi is currently fighting for survival after sustaining severe head injuries. He underwent brain surgery after he crashed with a retrieval tractor. Spectators deemed that his Ferrari career opportunity will be halted after his severe injury.

A French racing driver who made his debut in 2013, Jules Bianchi currently drives for the Marussia F1 team. He previously raced in the Formula Renault 3.5, the GP2 Series and Formula Three. He entered Formula One as a test driver at Ferrari in 2011. Bianchi carried out comparable role for Force India the next season.

The 25-year old racer, Jules Bianchi was connected by the BBC and several other media sources to the second Ferrari Formula One seat occupied by Luca Badoer during Felipe Massa's absence. His performance led to him being signed by Scuderia Ferrari as a young driver along with Daniel Zampieri, Mirko Bortolotti and Raffaele Marciello.

On November 11, 2010, Jules Bianchi was confirmed by Ferrari as the team's test and reserve driver for the 2011 season. He carried out his GP2 Series racing, as Formula One allows tests and reserve drivers to race in parallel in other races.

As part of the Ferrari Driver Academy, Jules Bianchi tested for Ferrari at Fiorano with fellow academy colleague and Sauber F1 driver Sergio Pérez on September 13, 2011. He completed 70 laps and recorded a quickest lap time.

For the 2012 season, Ferrari loaned him to the Force India team, for whom he drove in nine Friday free practice sessions over the course of the year as the outfit's test and reserve driver.

On the other hand, at the Japanese Grand Prix held on October 5, under sporadic heavy rainfall caused by the impending Typhoon Phanfone, Jules Bianchi lost control on lap 43 and swerved towards the surfeit area on the outside of the Dunlop curve of the Suzuka circuit.  He struck head-on and vertical to the hindmost of a tractor crane inclining to remove Adrian Sutil's Sauber after he spun out of control in the same area a lap before.

The accident instigated the race to be red flagged and ended 6 laps earlier than the 53-circuit full race distance. Reportedly, Jules Bianchi was knocked out after not answering to either a team radio call or officers. Amateur accident video and images showed that the car's roll bar was damaged as his Marussia skidded under the tractor crane. Unverified press reports suggested that the impact generated a 50g-force.

Jules Bianchi was attended to at the crash spot before being transported by an ambulance to the circuit's Medical Centre. Due to security trepidations and the unwarranted weather settings, it was determined that emergency transport through helicopter was unlikely. Hence, under police escort, he was further transported by an ambulance to the Mie University hospital. As stated by his father, Phillip to the French media, initial said that Bianchi was in critical condition with a head injury and was going through an operation to reduce severe bruising to his head. Consequently, the FIA issued a statement that CT scans showed Bianchi suffered a serious head injury in the crash, and that after surgery he would be admitted in intensive care.

In October 2013, Marussia confirmed that Bianchi would drive for the team the following season. At the Monaco Grand Prix, he scored both his and the team's first points in Formula One 2014 season.

Jules Bianchi's crash was the first major accident during a Formula 1. His skills displayed great opportunity to be a Ferrari racer; however his severe injury halted this promising career chance.

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