Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™

LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE

Bianchi at fault in F1 crash, says FIA

Formula One's ruling body FIA says a report into Jules Bianchi's heavy crash found the driver partially at fault, but local organisers were not to blame.

Marussia driver Jules Bianchi
A Formula One report has found local organisers were not at fault for Jules Bianchi's crash. (AAP)

Jules Bianchi's heavy crash at the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix was the result of several factors - one of which included the driver not slowing down sufficiently under double yellow flags.

In a 396-page report published on Wednesday by a 10-man accident panel of the ruling body FIA, several recommendations are made while it was found that FIA and local organisers were not at fault.

Bianchi's Marussia slid off a wet track at the October 5 race in Suzuka and crashed into a recovery vehicle which was in the process of lifting away the Sauber of Adrian Sutil, who had crashed a lap earlier at the same spot.

In the report, summarised by FIA, the panel said "Bianchi did not slow sufficiently to avoid losing control at the same point on the track as Sutil".

It also said that "Bianchi over-controlled the oversteering car" and that the design of the Marussia car denied the FailSafe system to cut the engine.

The report said it was "not feasible to mitigate the injuries Bianchi suffered by either enclosing the driver's cockpit, or fitting skirts to the crane".

It rather made several recommendations such as a speed limit under double yellow flag scenarios, a review of safety software, a general F1 risk review, and a test for new drivers to be familiar with safety regulations.

Bianchi suffered life-threatening head injuries in the crash and was recently transferred from a clinic in Japan to a hospital in his native France.

The report said that FIA and local organisers were not to blame as "all rescue and medical procedures were followed, and their expediency are considered to have contributed significantly to the saving of Bianchi's life".


2 min read

Published

Updated


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Watch now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world