The Jules Bianchi accident

ruggedhawk20 said:The theory is that without the HANS device, brain injuries might actually be less severe—since the energy would just dissipate through the neck instead

HANS didn't "participate" here.
The HANS device prevents the helmet and head from snapping forward during an impact.

In Bianchi's case, the helmet and head were pinned against the seat.

When you're designing a structure, what’s the main goal? Basically, you want to minimize how much deformation energy it absorbs. There are actually a handful of rare exceptions to that rule, though—like highway guardrails. Those things are specifically engineered to soak up as much impact energy as possible without snapping, which is why they come with those rubberized protective layers. Bianchi really had a run of bad luck because hitting that excavator meant absorbing ten times more energy than if he'd hit the rubber. He was lucky the law of cosines also played a part in the angle of the impact; if that hadn't happened, he definitely wouldn't be here today. Same goes for his neck—if that much energy had transferred there, he wouldn't have made it.

To bring us back to the main point, Bianchi's manager is actually Nicolas Todt, who happens to be the son of Jean, the current president of NASCAR.
Maybe some of you weren't aware of that connection, so there you have it.

Drew Bennett68 said:To bring us back to the main point, Bianchi's manager is actually Nicolas Todt, who happens to be the son of Jean, the current president of NASCAR.
Maybe some of you weren't aware of that connection, so there you have it.

Thanks. 😁
I've moved my little boxing anecdotes over to the Paddock.

In an accident like this, Bianchi's neck and spine definitely took a massive hit. When the impact happens, the head gets shoved violently downward into the cockpit, where there's absolutely zero room for any kind of movement.

ruggedhawk20 said:Honestly, Hans did more harm than good here—the energy that should’ve gone into snapping the neck just stayed trapped in the skull and pulverized the brain. Pure physics.

Look, here's what I've learned:
You can talk all you want about how the HANS works, but unless you've actually felt it during a high-speed impact, you haven't truly experienced it—actually, you probably haven't even seen one up close. If you had, you'd understand exactly why that restraint system exists in the first place.
☕

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Nicholas Nguyen said:In an accident like this, Bianchi's neck and spine definitely took a massive hit. When the impact happens, the head gets shoved violently downward into the cockpit, where there's absolutely zero room for any kind of movement.

I mean, how much movement could he even have had? They’re reclined so far forward in these cars nowadays... they haven't sat upright in years.

One thing is absolutely certain: if it wasn't for Hans, his neck would probably be a lost cause right now—either from the helmet snapping to the right or just the sheer torsion on the neck and helmet combined.

Speaking as someone who used to drive... my heart just breaks for the kid. He was pure talent—the kind of driver who would've been sitting in a Ferrari in two or three years. But with DAI involved? It's tough. Maybe a 10% chance he even pulls through, and even if he does, he won't be the same Bianchi. If he wants any hope of a normal life, he's going to need a literal miracle.
😢

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After everything that happened, you have to wonder if he'll even want to get back in an F1 car.

Chris Robinson25 said:After everything that happened, you have to wonder if he'll even want to get back in an F1 car.

It’s basically an addiction—once you get a taste, you're always hunting for that next hit. 😉

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Mental health is a tricky beast. 😉 Honestly, I've no idea if it's going to be that easy.

Chris Robinson25 said:Mental health is a tricky beast. 😉 Honestly, I've no idea if it's going to be that easy.

Massa is living proof. And honestly, there are others too—take Berger after Imole, for instance. Then you have those who just don't seem affected at all, only to end up even more unhinged later on, like Kubica. 🙂

mellowtiger83 said:Massa is living proof. And honestly, there are others too—take Berger after Imole, for instance. Then you have those who just don't seem affected at all, only to end up even more unhinged later on, like Kubica. 🙂

Guys... do you actually have any idea what you're talking about here?
Massa dealt with a minor suspension snap at 120mph... Berger hit a wall and lost consciousness...

The DAI situation involving Bianchi is easily the biggest thing since Schumacher’s downfall... maybe the only thing comparable to that Sennin accident, where a tire and a chunk of suspension ended up hitting him in the head...

Bianchi has maybe a 10% chance of survival... and even if he does, most patients end up in a vegetative state... the ones who actually wake up usually deal with severe disabilities... maybe try doing a little research before you start posting on the forum!

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Wikipedia makes the same claim regarding Hammond's experience.

coastalwolf6 said:Wikipedia makes the same claim regarding Hammond's experience.

There are some pretty significant differences when you look at what happened to Humster:
1. He was actually conscious after the crash—unlike Bianchi.
2. He was decelerating from nearly 250mph over several hundred meters, not dropping from 120mph to zero in just a few feet.
3. His car slid off into the grass, rather than slamming head-first into a tractor and tearing it apart.

So yeah, the medical diagnosis might be in the same ballpark... but the wounds themselves? They aren't the same. It’s like comparing a small nick to a strike from a samurai sword. Both are cuts, and both can kill you, but there are levels to this kind of damage—kind of like how we talk about different degrees of burns.

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So, what's the latest news?

Timothy Castillo6 said:So, what's the latest news?

The latest news is just FOM trying to distract everyone with random distractions

They actually pushed some "news" about Todt having a chat with Schumacher the other day

Be pametan enough to read between the lines

The sports news today is reporting there’s only about a 10% chance he pulls through this one.

Excuse me, but I just read that only 10% of patients with that diagnosis actually make it through.

Jacob White49 said:Excuse me, but I just read that only 10% of patients with that diagnosis actually make it through.

We are talking about an active athlete here—someone whose body is conditioned for extreme physical stress. Perhaps the survival odds are closer to 20%, which is still far too low. It isn't good.

The real question is what happens if he does make it into that 10-20% bracket. I wouldn't wish that kind of existence on anyone, not even someone like Michael Jordan.

Our local news outlets can barely manage a basic translation, let alone 😁

Basically, about 10% of those dealing with severe DAI will eventually pull through—not that anyone actually survives in the long run.

Whether Bianchi's case involves severe DAI remains a question; we'll likely have to wait for the situation to settle before anyone truly knows.

None of this changes the current outlook—it’s looking pretty grim.