Quote from chanoman315 :

Maybe he just lost control, probably we'll never know :/

I've read from somewhere that he had oversteer and corrected too much. That would explain why he was going straight into tractor, as Sutil was spinning around.

If Jules had been going pitlane/safety car speeds before the accident: This, would have been the most likely outcome. This is Marcus Ericsson spinning out under the first SC period in the same race.

Probably would have even spun because it's not the exit of a chicane with low speed, high torque. And the rules do say slow down and be prepared to stop, it's just never enforced.

yeah i dont like to be that guy but its pretty obvious that the problem here was excessive speed for that corner - and thats without even taking the double waved yellows into account

why dont they just change the rules so that drivers have to engage the pit limiter in double waved yellows?

I never said he aquaplaned off at pitlane speeds. Turn 7 in suzuka is very fast blind turn (even though the apex is not blind, the exit is) and the apex is also on top of hill which means the car gets lighter as it goes over the hill and in the wet you don't really have any room to go wide because the wet kerbs are slippery as well. My point really was that bianchi could have slowed down but still aquaplaned off. Or had a moment with going back on throttle. Or just have a "moment" at the apex.

Here is a lap from 2005:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-f83ruqcOk
Notice that the speed through turn 7 is about 120kmh when he is going as fast as he can. Also notice that if you go off the runoff is downhill.

Here is link to google maps on that corner:
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=114275729164008064732.0004786811016e795085a
The trajectory imho shows that the car went off the track straight after apex which suggests he did aquaplane off the track. He did go head on into the barriers/tractor but if you look at sutil's crash he went off rear first but his car spun around and he hit the barrier head first so one could imagine the same thing happened with bianchi. Also the speeds look quite comparable with sutil and bianchi.

Chilton was going faster in that corner, 230kph, http://www.iltasanomat.fi/formula1/art-1288748205687.html (Finnish)

The mobile F1 app showed a maximum speed of 213kph, albeit at a slow update rate, so likely peaked faster. In a double yellow zone. In 6th. Probably flat.

When the race first started behind the safety car, Rosberg was already reporting aquaplaning so they Do aquaplane behind the safety car.

In the conditions that were deemed to unsafe? When it was a LOT wetter than on lap 43?

This: http://www.gfycat.com/TediousConsiderateBlacknorwegianelkhound#

basically the actual speed he was going at doesnt really matter
the fact that he aquaplaned means that he most definitely wasnt going at the speed required of him by the rules for double waved yellow flag situations

Quote from tristancliffe :

And the rules do say slow down and be prepared to stop, it's just never enforced.

This is the only thing FIA needs to think about for some time now. How to enforce it without it becoming a arbirtarily draconian lottery.

Quote from Hyperactive :

Here is a lap from 2005:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-f83ruqcOk
Notice that the speed through turn 7 is about 120kmh when he is going as fast as he can. Also notice that if you go off the runoff is downhill.

That (velocidad) speedometer is clearly not working, so that 120kmh is no way near the actual speed, just to clarify.

http://www.gfycat.com/LightheartedDescriptiveBullfrog - Magnussen, T7, just 2 laps before Bianchi's crash..

Baku layout revealed:





I think the second image is actually slightly wrong, though. Should go a block further on the right side.

Here we go: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=zDH7zI65mpag.kvPvN6GGYd1Y

An interesting pic of a semi-naked Mercedes engine and ancillaries:



...and a diagram:

Tous avec Jules:
https://twitter.com/GvanderGarde/status/520139726180077568/photo/1
http://www.toilef1.com/Photos-Un-soutien-unanime-a-Jules.html


Vettel and Alonso: The next McLaren dream team ? :
http://en.espnf1.com/blogs/motorsport/story/178623.html

Quote from Hyperactive :

Quote from DeadWolfBones :

Hopefully this doesn't come off as ghoulish or anything, but who do we figure will start in Sochi for Marussia? Rossi or Stevens?

Nah, marussia will sell the seat to the highest bidder. The way the 3rd driver business seems to work in F1 is that the 3rd drivers pay just to be called "3rd drivers" or "test drivers". =To have a driving job in F1 in their resumes. The 3rd drivers only get to drive the cars though when the actual drivers are lagging behind on their payments and need some pressuring... When the actual drivers are not able to drive it is basically a lotterery who gets the drive...

E: actually I think it could be one of the ferrari prospects that get to drive the marussia. If I have not misundertood bianchi's seat is paid by ferrari and as such it is ferrari's seat. My "money" is on Raffaele Marciello.

Welp: http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2014/10/09/rossi-nominated-stand-bianchi-marussia/

Now confirmed Marussia will only run a single car this weekend "out of respect" to Bianchi. Don't agree with that decision; would rather have seen Rossi in the car.

Apparently the sochi weekend came too soon so marussia did not have time to sell the seat. It takes a lot more time for potential drivers to sort out their sponsors. That or they just decided it was cheaper to not run the car.

3rd drivers are just extra income for the teams. When it comes to driving the cars the teams are happier to not have anyone drive the car than to have the 3rd driver drive the car...

Quote from Hyperactive :

Apparently the sochi weekend came too soon so marussia did not have time to sell the seat. It takes a lot more time for potential drivers to sort out their sponsors. That or they just decided it was cheaper to not run the car.

3rd drivers are just extra income for the teams. When it comes to driving the cars the teams are happier to not have anyone drive the car than to have the 3rd driver drive the car...

Rossi was ready to drive at Spa and was the nominated reserve driver for this weekend. I suppose his backers could have had trouble coming through with the money, but I'm not sure how likely that would be.

Rossi will almost certainly be in at Texas, anyway.

Quote from amp88 :

Now confirmed Marussia will only run a single car this weekend "out of respect" to Bianchi. Don't agree with that decision; would rather have seen Rossi in the car.

Bare in mind that it's more about the team than what Bianchi should want. I mean, Bianchi's engineers are also his friends and are surely struggling with this and having all sorts of questions in their mind. I think it's disrespectful to talk about the fact they just didn't have time to sell the seat etc and to act like we know what Bianchi would want when in reality we have no clue.

Formula 1 bosses are to implement changes to ensure drivers slow down for on-track incidents, and pursue the idea of a 'virtual safety car':

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/29581592