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Marussia have announced that they will race with only one car at the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi – a fitting gesture for the Jules Bianchi, who remains in a critical but stable condition according to reports.
In the racing world, this is the event that no one wants to happen. A car loses its grip and a driver loses control at over 200 kilometres per hour. The ensuing crash resulted in traumatic brain injuries.
The Roar‘s Michael Lamonato detailed the horrific event, but if it were to be surmised in four words they would be those of Niki Lauda: “Motor racing is dangerous.”
Lauda knows of this danger first-hand.
In the 1976 German Grand Prix he was seriously injured when his car caught fire. Lauda inhaled toxic fumes, was severely burned, and almost asphyxiated. He was left with permanent scars and other signs from the injury.
Unfortunately for Formula One, such events are not as rare as you might think.
We will race on with a single car in Sochi > http://t.co/XenOaxmuwZ @Jules_Bianchi #JB17 pic.twitter.com/0wPi0Wb0Uq
— Marussia F1 Team (@Marussia_F1Team) October 10, 2014
There have been 32 deaths in Formula One races since 1952, and 12 in races affiliated with racing’s top echelon.
Most notably was the death of Ayrton Senna in 1994. Senna, who competed in F1 for 10 years, was one of the sport’s most dominant drivers, winning 3 world championships and 41 races.
The final race of his life was the San Marino Grand Prix, where following complaints regarding handling, Senna lost control of his Williams car and hit a concrete retaining wall at around 145 kilometres per hour.
Two days before the race, Senna’s protégé and fellow Williams driver Rubens Barrichello was involved in a crash and suffered a broken nose and arm. In the day preceding, Austrian Roland Ratzenberger was killed.
On the day of the San Marino Grand Prix, Senna discussed safety with his team, and also spoke of quitting racing.
The backlash from the latest near-fatal crash has been pushed by the drivers themselves, who have reportedly been demanding greater emphasis be placed on their safety.
Formula One’s governing body will have to respond to these concerns.
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