23/07/2015
NEWS STORY
Just days after the French youngster finally succumbed to the injuries sustained when he lost control of his Marussia in the rain at Suzuka, shock details of the sheer size of the accident have been made available.
The FIA, through its World Accident Database has released a myriad of data relating to the incident in which the youngster sustained his head injuries.
At the point Bianchi lost control of his car he was travelling at 132 mph (213 km/h), according to Auto Motor Und Sport which has had exclusive access to the data. At the point of impact with the tractor - just 2.61 seconds later - the car, though slowing, was still travelling at 78 mph (126 km/h).
"It worked like a brake, with an abrupt deceleration," revealed the FIA's Safety Commission vice president, Andy Mellor, "and in this process there was contact between the helmet and the crane.
"We have never seen anything like this before," he admitted.
The impact force was approximately 59G, though sensors in Bianchi's ear plugs indicated an impact of 92G. However, the FIA is of the opinion that the ear plugs will have been dislodged in the collision which was actually around 254G as a result of the abrupt deceleration.
Peter Wright, head of the FIA Safety Commission, insists that much will be learned from the accident, which saw the concept of a Virtual Safety Car introduced just weeks later.
"It is still often the case that some accidents must first occur in order to learn from them," said Wright. "It was a scenario we could not previously imagine. That's why it was very important to really investigate this accident to the smallest detail. We have never invested so much time and effort in an analysis."