Michael Schumacher/Formula 1

[Terminator]

Thanks for that John
Novie
The Biker

[polo]

Just read an article with quote from Jean Todt

FIA president Todt has now stated that the 45-year-old will be able to "live a relatively normal life".

"We may assume that Schumacher can live a relatively normal life within a short period of time," Todt told French radio station RTL.

"What we can say is that he will probably never again drive a Formula One car.

At last some good news!

[f1steveuk]

Not being a killjoy, honest, but unless it comes from Sabine, it's best not too take too much notice. "A short time" could be anything, baring in mind Michael still cannot move or talk, so where Todt gets his ideas from (even though he has visited) may not be 100% accurate. I still hope he makes a full recovery (as I hope Jules will), but it takes time, a long time, and it's not a forgone conclusion, as I learnt from my friend Soames (Langton).

[quicksilver-wsr]

The situation regarding Jules Bianchi has been detailed by his family today ...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/29521187

Nigel

[quicksilver-wsr]

As Jules Bianchi's accident dominates F1, discussion turns again to the issue of "closed cockpits" for the cars ...

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/116206

Nigel

[mtskull]

As Jules Bianchi's accident dominates F1, discussion turns again to the issue of "closed cockpits" for the cars ...

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/116206

Nigel

A closed cockpit may have helped in instances where there was direct impact with an object, such as the accidents to Felipe Massa, Ayrton Senna and Henry Surtees but sadly, it doesn't require a direct impact to cause the sort of injury that Jules Bianchi suffered.
The same argument applies as that which has been eloquently put against the FIM proposals for WWSR boats, i.e: it is not possible to construct a cockpit which would protect the driver from all foreseeable impacts. Ultimately, there is only so much acceleration/deceleration that the human body in general, and the brain in particular, can be subjected to without serious consequences.

[f1steveuk]

My friend Soames had the same injury as Jules, suffered in an accident at Nogaro in 1996. He regained conciousness, but suffered from "locked in syndrome" for the rest of his life. It was harrowing to visit. From what I have heard (through my old F1 colleaagues) is that fortunately, Jules' helmet "brushed" the concrete weight on the back of the tractor, his injury has more to do with the very sudden changes of direction, caused by the "brush" and the very very sudden deacceleration, even one HANS strap was reportedly snapped. Remembering what Prof Sid Watkins told me regaarding Soames, the prognosis is very much 50/50 for the first five days, as is the recovery afterwards. I have my fingers crossed for Jules, he's a nice guy, and a quick quick driver.

[quicksilver-wsr]

I think the BBC article I linked to in my earlier post makes it plain that a "closed cockpit" would not have helped Jules Bianchi. In fact, I suspect such an arrangement may have made for a worse outcome, if anything.

But the interesting thing for me was that several F1 teams cited aesthetics as the reason for kicking the idea of "closed cockpits" into the long grass some time ago. I should have thought that, given the number of lives that could have been saved by front-of-the-cockpit-aperture "cages", aesthetics would have been quite low on the agenda.

These cages would be as ugly as sin, it's true. But so are accidents in which grave brain injuries occur - and modern-day F1 cars are ugly anyway! It's only the build quality that makes them look sexy. When the likes of Bertone and Pininfarina set about designing drop-dead-gorgeous automobiles, they didn't scrap wheel arches and add two-dozen wing elements and cameras on stalks to improve their looks.

I hope the debate that's following in the wake of Bianchi's accident eventually brings about a more reasoned consideration of future F1 safety measures. Aesthetics have no place there.

Another, altogether more tragic, accident awaits - literally around the corner - if the F1 teams don't put their priorities in the right order.

Nigel

[f1steveuk]

Yes Nigel, it's all a bit obscure. I know a forward cage has been tested, though I was suspicious of the angle they fired thee wheel at it, nothing is that predictable. An F16 type enclosed cockpit was also tried, but there was a severe misting problem, and there was talk of extending the side protection, in ridges, down to the nosecone, but accidents are unpredictable. To me, simply having thirty tonnes of tractor anywhere open where cars are doing over 100mph was always asking for a accident to happen. As usual, all the holes in the cheese lined up, and not for the better.

[quicksilver-wsr]

Vettel, Alonso, Hamilton, Rosberg, Massa and Perez speak on Jules Bianchi's accident ...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/29551563

Nigel