Photo: Mercedes AMG Petronas
2014 has been a year of change in Formula 1. The naturally aspirated V8 powerplants of yesteryear were ditched for hybrid power units that employ turbo V6 mills, there are more rookies than before on the grid and more financial problems than the sport has ever seen since the first Formula 1 Grand Prix was held at Silverstone, Great Britain back in 1950.
But hard times never come or go without a bang. This Formula 1 season also saw the tragic accidents of one of the all-time greats and a rookie driver with great potential. The latter races for Marussia F1 and has been in an induced coma since the Japanese Grand Prix, which was held in the first weekend of October. To make a long story short, rainy weather and too much ambition in a corner saw Jules Bianchi crash into a recovery car in the outside of turn 7.
Currently at a hospital in Nice, France, Jules "has made an important step... he is breathing unaided and his vital signs are stable, but his condition is still classified as critical. His treatment now enters a new phase concerned with the improvement of his brain function."
As for the seven-time world champion, recent news hints toward a Michael Schumacher that is getting better. That December 2013 skiing accident schocked the entire motorsport world and its fans, but things appear to get back on track for the 45-year-old German F1 legend.
Former racing driver Philippe Streiff, who is a quadriplegic after a horrific crash in 1989, told the French media that although Schumacher is getting better, things are still "very difficult. He can't speak. Like me, he is in a wheelchair [and] paralysed. He has memory problems and speech problems."
Onboard data recorders showed the crash started with a really violent 92 G impact
A lot of uneasiness surrounded the driver's medical condition after Jules was transported to the Mie General Medical Center in Japan. Doctors told he suffered a severe axonal injury and is in a critical but stable condition. He was induced into an artificial coma in order to keep his condition under control, but now he's much better. The Frenchman was transported out of the Japanese hospital only recently and is still unconscious, but the 25-year-old is "no longer in the artificial coma," tells the Bianchi family.Currently at a hospital in Nice, France, Jules "has made an important step... he is breathing unaided and his vital signs are stable, but his condition is still classified as critical. His treatment now enters a new phase concerned with the improvement of his brain function."
As for the seven-time world champion, recent news hints toward a Michael Schumacher that is getting better. That December 2013 skiing accident schocked the entire motorsport world and its fans, but things appear to get back on track for the 45-year-old German F1 legend.
Former racing driver Philippe Streiff, who is a quadriplegic after a horrific crash in 1989, told the French media that although Schumacher is getting better, things are still "very difficult. He can't speak. Like me, he is in a wheelchair [and] paralysed. He has memory problems and speech problems."
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