Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsFormula 1

'Important lessons have been learned' from Bianchi crash

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Mercedes executive director (technical) Paddy Lowe says "important lessons have been learned" from Jules Bianchi's accident at the Japanese Grand Prix last year.

Bianchi was left with severe head injuries after he crashed in to a recovery crane during the race in Suzuka, with the Frenchman passing away last week following nine months in a coma. After an investigation in to the circumstances surrounding the accident, a number of changes were implemented including the new Virtual Safety Car which forces drivers to slow down in certain sections of the circuit when required.

Lowe says Bianchi's passing should serve as a reminder of the improvements made since the accident as well as the need to continue to search for ways of making F1 safer.

"Through the weekend, we will have Jules Bianchi and his family uppermost in our thoughts," Lowe said. "Important lessons have been learned from his tragic accident last year and changes implemented to prevent that kind of accident recurring.

"Motorsport can never be free of risk - but these moments remind us all of the responsibility we bear to continuously improve safety in motorsport for all of its participants."

Jules Bianchi: 1989 - 2015

I wish I had known Bianchi better - Hamilton

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.