Sports43 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2014

Hamilton, Rosberg carry on their F1 contest

SOCHI: and recovery crane at the Suzuka course dur- happened to Jules it suddenly didn’t seem Rosberg said. “Everybody was really into it, take their fight to untested ing rainy conditions. Governing body FIA relevant anymore. My thoughts and all the Russian fans, so I think there will be ground at the this has started an investigation into the acci- prayers are with him and his family. a lot of people coming to watch us. It’s a weekend, with the circuit still recovering dent, which has revived a safety debate in new circuit, so we’ve spent a lot of time in from the horrific crash of Jules Bianchi last Formula One. New experience the simulator practicing it to learn all the week. The accident overshadowed Hamilton’s “This weekend is a new experience. I lines and the gears as best we can.” Hamilton leads his Mercedes teammate victory over Rosberg in Suzuka. Hamilton’s like a challenge and a new circuit always The Russian fans are sure to support by 10 points going into the race in Sochi, eighth win of the season increased his lead provides that. Of course, we’ve run , the home driver who is leav- the Black Sea resort that hosted the Winter to 10 points. Each victory is worth 25 points, through plenty of laps on the simulator, ing Toro Rosso to replace four-time cham- Olympics in February. With four races and but the last race in Dubai will count double. but you never really know what it will be pion at Red Bull. 125 points still at stake, the title will not be Hamilton, like all drivers, will face an like until you get out there and feel your “I am sure there will be a lot of atten- decided at the Sochi Autodrom around unfamiliar course as the Sochi Autodrom way into the track,” Hamilton said. With tion on me, but I am ready for it and will the Olympic Park. But Mercedes can seal makes its debut on the circuit. “It’s difficult the well-being of Bianchi foremost on his enjoy it in a way, so really I will just do my the constructors’ title with a victory by one to know what to say after a weekend like mind, Rosberg said he was looking for- usual job the best I can,” said Kvyat, who of its drivers, who will be the favorites.In the one in Japan,” Hamilton said. “As I ward to the race in Russia. has a grandstand on the course named Japan, Bianchi is in critical but stable con- crossed the line, obviously I was pleased to “We did actually do a demo in Moscow after him. Russia did stage two grand prix dition after suffering a severe head injury have finally won at Suzuka, but as soon as a couple of years ago where I drove round races before, but that was before World when his Marrussia car ploughed into a we got back to the pits and heard what the Kremlin, which was really cool,” War I in St. Petersburg. —AP Family to unite at Bianchi’s bedside Perez calls for more use of

YOKKAICHI: A brother and a sister of Sergio Perez said yesterday, as drivers ple run out of brakes, so many factors SOCHI: (L to R first row) Red Bull Racing’s German crashed French Formula One driver Jules reflected on Jules Bianchi’s horrific crash you never expect, and if the tractor is driver Sebastian Vettel, ’s Spanish driver Bianchi were to join their parents at his in Japan last weekend. there it’s a big problem,” added the and McLaren Mercedes’ British bedside in a Japanese hospital, a source Mexican. “You don’t want to expose any- driver , (second row) Williams’ close to the family said yesterday. Stable codition one like that. We have to take care of the Tom and Melanie Bianchi were due in Bianchi has been in hospital since the marshals.” Brazilian driver , Sauber’s German driv- Japan later and expected to visit the Mie accident at Suzuka, the last medical bul- Formula One’s governing body, the er and Toro Rosso’s Russian driver General Medical Center in Yokkaichi, letin issued on Tuesday saying the International Automobile Federation Daniil Kvyat attend a press conference at the where their brother was taken after the Frenchman had suffered a traumatic (FIA), has opened an enquiry into the Sochiautodrom circuit in Sochi yesterday ahead of horrific smash at the Suzuka Circuit on brain injury and was in critical but stable accident with a of questions to the Russian Formula One Grand Prix. —AFP Sunday. condition. be addressed. Lorenz Leclerc, a young man whom Bianchi’s supporters described as his Alonso backs calls to best friend, joined his parents at the hos- pital earlier yesterday. Bianchi, 25, was test closed cockpits knocked unconscious in a high-speed SOCHI: Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso yesterday crash into a recovery vehicle during added his voice to calls for Formula One to consider the introduc- Sunday’s rain-sodden Japanese Grand tion of closed cockpits, In the wake of Jules Bianchi’s life-threat- Prix at Suzuka. ening accident at the , the Spaniard told a The Frenchman underwent emer- news conference ahead of this weekend’s inaugural Russian gency brain surgery, with doctors saying Grand Prix that he welcomed proposals to look at the plan. he was in critical but stable condition. It could be weeks before doctors know “I probably tend to agree we should at least check and try or how badly damaged Bianchi’s brain is, a test the idea,” he said. “We are in 2014. We have the technology. specialist warned. Motor racing’s govern- We have aeroplanes and many other examples used in a success- ing body the FIA said Wednesday it had ful way. So why not to think about it?” ordered a report into the crash to be Frenchman Bianchi remained ‘critical but stable’ in hospital in supervised by its top race director. Japan following Sunday’s race in which his Marussia collided with FIA president has asked a recovery vehicle. Bianchi, 25, suffered severe head injuries. Charlie Whiting, the Formula One race Ferrari driver Alonso added that he had enjoyed a lucky director, “to carry out a report on the escape in 2012 when he was involved in a massive multiple colli- precise circumstances which led to the YOKKAICHI: Parents of injured Marussia driver Jules Bianchi of , sion amid flying debris at the start of the Belgian Grand Prix. accident”, the federation said in a state- Philippe Bianchi (L) and Christine (C) speak with his friend Lorenz Leclerc He said: “All the biggest accidents in motorsport in the last ment sent to AFP. (R) at the Mie General Medical Centre in Yokkaichi yesterday. —AFP couple of years have been head injuries-so it’s probably one of Bianchi suffers a diffuse axonal injury- the parts where we are not on the top of the safety. trauma that is spread across the brain The 25-year-old Marussia driver, a How and when tractors are deployed “Even in my case, in 2012 at Spa, I probably could have died rather than in one place-caused by the Ferrari test driver who was an emerging to remove crashed cars has been a con- there, in corner one, if it had been 10 centimetres closer to my shockwave from the sudden impact of talent, aquaplaned off in rain and poor cern in Formula One for years and has head.” the crash travelling through the brain. visibility and crashed into the back of a come under renewed scrutiny. Closed cockpits have been considered by Formula One in the This causes bruising and kills cells. tractor that was removing a crashed “For the good of him, for the good past, but were rejected because the teams believed that their The body’s response to the injury- Sauber. of his family, we need to really move introduction would make their cars look too ugly. swelling-exacerbates the problem “In the future, when there is a tractor forward in terms of safety on what The Williams team’s deputy team principal Claire Williams told because it restricts blood flow to the picking up a car, we need a safety car no happened to Jules,” said Perez of the an audience at the Leaders in Sport conference in London on brain, causing more damage. Experts say matter the conditions because there is popular Bianchi, who was Wednesday that she favoured considering closed cockpits and recovery rates from this kind of injury, always a risk,” Force India driver Perez reserve in 2012. “Hopefully in the said driver safety was more important than the look of the cars. which is frequently caused by vehicle told reporters at the new Russian Grand future you will never see an accident Williams driver Brazilian Felipe Massa, who survived life- crashes, are not encouraging. Prix Circuit. like this in the whole of Formula One; threatening head injuries when struck by an errant spring from Formula One should deploy the safe- “You expose the marshals, a lot of Being a tractor there and then a car another car during qualifying at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix, ty car whenever a tractor is used to people, so we need a safety car if the colliding with it cannot happen. We supported Alonso’s call for action. —AFP retrieve a car from the track, Mexican tractor is on track. “You could have peo- cannot have this.” —Agencies