F1 trying to suppress Bianchi crash video as family issues health update

Filed under: Motorsports

"Diffuse axonal injury is usually associated with a somber prognosis." - Dr. Gary Hartstein

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The family of injured Marussia Formula One driver Jules Bianchi has issued an official statement on the 25-year-old driver's medical status. According to a statement on the Marussia team's website, the Frenchman is suffering from what's known as a diffuse axonal brain injury, a potentially devastating and disturbingly common form of brain injury, following a huge crash at Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix.

"Jules remains in the intensive care unit of the Mie General Medical Center in Yokkaichi. He has suffered a diffuse axonal injury and is in a critical but stable condition. The medical professionals at the hospital are providing the very best treatment and care and we are grateful for everything they have done for Jules since his accident," Bianchi's family wrote.

According to former FIA medical boss Dr. Gary Hartstein, a DAI seems to damage the brain's white matter ("white matter" being clumps of axons, or the "cables" that transmit nerve impulses throughout the brain).

"DAI is usually associated with a somber prognosis," Hartstein writes in his post detailing the injury.

Meanwhile, Autoweek has an in depth story on the questionable conditions that the Japanese Grand Prix was running through before Bianchi's accident, as well as the efforts of Formula One Management to purge video of the wreck from the internet.

AW reports that FOM is working to remove the video showing the wreck from across the web, although it can still be found across YouTube. Autoblog was among the sites that had their third-party video of the incident pulled.

"FOM has not contacted me, but I think they are trying to bury the video because it shows all the mistakes," Phillip Dabrowiecki, allegedly the man behind one of the more controversial videos, told AW. "I shared the video for the truth to be shown to all F1 fans."

"No car should go out of control in that situation." - Williams' Valtteri Bottas

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Dabrowiecki's video captured a marshal in a tower near where Bianchi crashed waving a green flag before the wreck, causing questions from viewers, including former F1 champion (and Bianchi's countryman) Alain Prost.

"It should have been at least a hundred meters away," Prost said of the flag, according to AW. That point was contested, though, by FIA driver steward Emanuele Pirro, who said those concerned about the green flag were "mistaken," and that it's "perfectly regular" for green flags to be flying at the marshal stand immediately following a wreck, even if said stand is right on top of the incident.

Meanwhile, theories on Bianchi's crash have been swirling, with more than a few paddock regulars indicating that the 25-year-old Marussia driver may have been at fault.

"No car should go out of control in that situation," Williams' Valtteri Bottas said, according to AW. "I saw everything. There was way too much momentum."

Bottas' point was echoed by the driver steward on duty during the race, Mika Salo, and former FIA President Max Mosley.

"For some reason the driver didn't see the yellow flags," Mosley told the UK's Sky according to AW. "It would appear he didn't slow down as perhaps he should have done, but it's certainly the case that the yellow flags were deployed."

Whatever actually happened to cause the wreck and Bianchi's severe injury, it was (surprisingly) F1 villain Bernie Ecclestone who offered the most common sense response to the unfortunate events in Japan.

"Things happen and we have to find out the cause," the billionaire said.

Scroll down for the full statement from Jules Bianchi's family.Continue reading F1 trying to suppress Bianchi crash video as family issues health update

F1 trying to suppress Bianchi crash video as family issues health update originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 07 Oct 2014 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



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