Video: Jules Bianchi slid into the tractor at Japan F1 race at high speed
Jules Bianchi is “critical but stable” after undergoing surgery following a vicious crash at the Formula 1 race in Suzuka, Japan on Sunday.
The crash was not shown on the television broadcast of the race. Here’s a video of crash that was posted to YouTube on Monday. The tractor is lifting Adrian Sutil’s crashed car when Bianchi slides into it. The impact is incredible.
The incidents happened in turn seven. Sutil said his car hydroplaned and, as custom in road course races, the track was under a local yellow. The race was being run in rain as Typhoon Phanfone approached the Japanese coast.
You’ll notice in the video that the flag man is waving a green flag. It’s to signify the track is clear. And while the track was clear, the tractor is clearly still in front of the wall. The flag was waved after the flag man waved double yellow flags as Sutil’s car was being attached to the crane.
You can expect this incident to start a push for Formula 1 to revise its rules regarding yellow flags, specifically local yellows. During local yellows, drivers are prevented from overtaking.
The track is divided into multiple sectors, and according to this March report by Autosport, a single yellow flag by a flag man means a driver should slow his sector time by 0.2 seconds. A double yellow requires a 0.5 second slowdown. However, those requirements mean drivers are still going fast. Bianchi’s telemetry reportedly showed him going approximately 130 MPH just before the crash.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
