I am now in Dubai and during the eight or so hours I have been flying, a video has emerged which clearly shows what happened. This is very helpful to understand the dynamics of the crash. I do not intend to publish it here (on the grounds of taste) but I am sure that those of you who wish to look at such things can find it easily enough. The video shows exactly what happened and how the two vehicles ended up where they did after the impact. The video shows that the hit was actually a glancing blow with the rear end of the tractor, under the overhang at the back of the vehicle. This is what destroyed the crash structures of the Marussia. One can see how the damage to the left side of the car (which we have not yet seen) was so extensive. The video happens at such speed that it is impossible to ascertain whether Bianchi’s helmet hit the tractor itself, but the G-forces involved in the impact, highlighted by the amount the heavy truck was moved by the force of the impact, were obviously very high. Given the speed that Bianchi arrived, it would have been a huge accident even if the tractor had not been there. The video I saw does show a green flag being waved in the background but this needs to be examined carefully because while Adrian Sutil’s Sauber was being removed from the scene the flagman was waving double yellows. When the tractor with the Sauber reversed in front of his tower (it was only a few metres) he changed flags to green because the sector for which the flagman was responsible had become free of any danger and so the flagging was correct.
Joe Saward (Joe Saward is a writer, specializing in Formula 1 racing. He has attended every Grand Prix since 1988.)
