Australia's Daniel Ricciardo has finished fourth in a rain-affected and serious accident-shortened Japan F1 Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton won, extending his world championship lead.
Hamilton triumphed from Mercedes teammate and closest rival Nico Rosberg after the race was red-flagged following 46 of 53 laps due to a crash involving Marussia driver Jules Bianchi and officials decided not to restart.
Frenchman Bianchi went off at Turn 7 and made contact with a crane dealing with the damaged Sauber car of Adrian Sutil, who was unhurt after an earlier accident.
The race celebrations were subdued as an unconscious Bianchi was taken to a hospital by ambulance.
He was later undergoing emergency surgery after a scan revealed a severe head injury.
Hamilton told reporters: "I hope he is OK. I don't want to say anymore."
"We hope Bianchi is OK," added Rosberg, "my thoughts are with my colleague Jules."
Ricciardo started from sixth on the grid and made good progress to finish behind third-placed teammate Sebastian Vettel during a race in which vision was severely impaired by spray from the wet track and also fading light.
The rain also played havoc early in the race, with the first nine laps run behind the safety car as a typhoon bore down on Japan.
Hamilton, the 2008 world champion, produced one of the overtaking moves of the season when he daringly passed Rosberg on the outside of turn one and stormed away to claim his eighth victory of 2014 and the 30th victory of his career.
Hamilton (266 points) now has a 10-point lead over Rosberg with four rounds left this season.
Ricciardo picked up 12 points and is third on 193 from Vettel on 139, Fernando Alonso on 133 and Valterri Bottas on 130.
Vettel, the four-time and defending title holder, who announced on Saturday he will leave Red Bull at the end of the season, made the podium for the second race in a row - but only his fourth of the year.
