Jules Bianchi Update: Marussia F1 Team Angry Over Allegations Bianchi Didn't Slow Down For Yellow Flags
Following the horrific accident that took place in the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka last Oct. 5, 2014, Marussia Formula One Team Driver Jules Bianchi remains in the hospital. The driver is said to be in a stable but critical condition and remains unconscious. While the team and his family are dealing with his treatment, several malicious reports about the circumstances leading up to the accident has angered the team due to implications that the driver and the team may be at fault.
In a statement issued by the Marussia F1 Team through its Web site last Wednesday, two major points were addressed. The first were allegations that Bianchi failed to slow down when double yellow flags were raised following the accident of Adrian Sutil.
Sutil crashed a lap ahead of Bianchi in the exact same corner and Bianchi hit the recovery vehicle that was extracting Sutil's car on the 44th lap. The second barrage of accusations related to the team itself and how they supposedly urged the driver to keep driving faster despite the yellow flags in order to keep an opposing driver, Marcus Ericsson, behind him.
In response to these allegations, the team has stated that it is an irrefutable fact that Jules did slow down under the yellow flags. According to the statement released by the team as well as in the FIA press conference during the Russian Grand Prix on Oct. 10, all the relevant telemetry data has been submitted to the FIA for scrutiny. They further attested that the race director Charlie Whiting has already concluded that the driver did slow down sufficiently under the caution flags.
Regarding the second matter, the team has also provided both the audio and written transcription of the radio correspondence between Bianchi and the team during the moments leading up to the accident. Both have been examined by the FIA and no evidence has been found to indicate that the team had urged the driver to go faster under dangerous conditions.
"The Marussia F1 Team is shocked and angered by these allegations. At a time when its driver is critically ill in hospital," the statement read.
The team has been working closely with Bianchi's family in managing the press updates about his condition. Bianchi's mother has said in a recent interview that people are "shirking responsibility" for what happened but didn't make clear who she meant exactly. Despite this, she stated that the medical team has done a phenomenal job so far, and she had nothing but good words for them.