Half a year on from the crash that subjected him to a coma, Jules Bianchi continues to fight each day says his father Philippe.
Bianchi was involved in an incident with a tractor during last seasons Japanese Grand Prix. The tractor was out to recover the Sauber of Adrian Sutil who crashed just one lap before.
The Frenchman has been in a coma ever since but Philippe still has hope his son will wake up.
“The only thing we can say is that he fights with force, as he has always fought before and after the accident,” he said in an interview with the Nice-Matin newspaper.
“Every day, Jules is doing a marathon. From a medical point of view, his condition is stable. It is fairly autonomous – no physical problem. All his organs are working without assistance. But for now, he remains unconscious, in a coma.”
“For this kind of trauma, as we know, evolution is very slow. Compared to what we were told by the Japanese professor who was immediately operated in Yokkaichi, this is already night and day. There, when we arrived, with Jules’ mum, there was no hope. The prognosis was alarming. There was talk of irreversible damage,” he added.
“Neurologically, the doctors told us that there is no specific intervention to do. The most important thing is to stimulate Jules, that he feels a constant presence at his side. That’s why we take turns every day – his mother, his sister, his brother and me. He also has, Gina, his German girlfriend, who lives here now.
“Jules is young. He is 25 years old. He is very strong physically as he survived such a shock. You know, I’m very proud of Jules. I have always been. So we hope for a new development.”
Philippe confirmed that there have been signs of life from Jules but doctors are unable to confirm whether or not they are reflex actions.
“From time to time, at his bedside, we see that things are happening. At times, he is more active, he moves more, his hand shakes – but is it mere reflex reactions or real? It’s hard to know. The important thing is that he is being looked after by excellent specialists.
“Those people who think of him, pray for him, it is a fabulous motivator. I’m sure Jules hears. Today I want to again thank them all. And tell them that we will give news, whether it is good or bad.”
Bianchi Sr. was asked about the FIA’s investigation into the cause of the accident during an interview. It was confirmed one of the reasons for the incident was that Bianchi did not slow sufficiently enough for the yellow flags which were present at the time.
“It was an internal investigation,” Philippe said. “Only those who were involved were engaged.
“Regarding this, I have nothing new to say. Very good people are involved now to defend the interests of Jules.
“If someone is responsible some day, he will have to pay. Frankly, I’m too upset to talk about it. I prefer to focus my energy on Jules now,” he added.
Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to Jules, his family, friends and girlfriend Gina at this time.
Images Courtesy Of Manor Marussia F1 Team
