An air of shock and sadness hung over the Formula One paddock yesterday as drivers prepared for the inaugural Russian GP with Jules Bianchi foremost in their thoughts.
Bianchi suffered severe brain trauma and is in a ‘critical but stable’ condition in hospital in Japan after the accident at Suzuka last Sunday.
In heavy rain, the Frenchman’s Marussia aquaplaned uncontrol-ably and at speed into a recovery tractor that had been deployed to remove Adrian Sutil’s Sauber.
No medical update has been released since Tuesday.
Brazilian Felipe Massa, who suffered near-fatal head injuries in a 2009 Hungarian GP accident but came back to race again with Ferrari and now Williams, voiced the thoughts of many.
“Suzuka was the worst race of my life,” he told reporters.
“It’s so difficult to be everyday because I can just be thinking about him, thinking about Jules. It’s a very difficult weekend for all of us,” he continued.
“Maybe tomorrow it will get a little bit better because at least you are working, at least you have something to think about, some issue to put inside your brain. We must try to race and do the best we can for him.”
A popular figure and one of the sport’s rising stars, as well as coming from a well-established motor racing family, Bianchi was uppermost in everbody’s thoughts as the sport prepared for its first race in Russia.
Although racing for struggling Marussia, he was also contracted to Ferrari as a test driver.
“It was a tough weekend and right now we are here, a difficult weekend again. Emotionally very difficult,” said Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso.
“(We are) ready to race, to race for him, being as professional as we can but definitely our minds, or my mind, is with him in this moment, praying for him.”
Sutil, who was standing near his car as the Marussia slammed into the tractor, agreed.
“We have to pray right now. This is all we can do. We can hope that we get some better news,” he said.
Every F1 driver knows the risks he takes in a sport that remains inherently dangerous, however much the safety has improved since triple champion Ayrton Senna became the last driver fatality 20 years ago.
“We all share a common passion for racing... we all share a passion for competing,” Sebastian Vettel, of Red Bull, said.
“Obviously we are all very fortunate to find ourselves in Formula One racing the best and quickest cars in the world, which give the best satisfaction.
“But there is always some risk involved, which is, I think, always a part, or a great part, of the feeling why you feel so alive. I think if you have to make the decision, I’m fairly confident for us you’d always prefer to go racing.”