Bianchi remains in coma six months after F1 crash

A little over six months after his accident in Suzuka on Oct. 5, 2014, the condition of Jules Bianchi remains unchanged, according to his father.

A clearly emotional Philippe Bianchi spoke for the first time in some weeks in an interview with Nice-Matin.

“The only thing we can say is that he fights with force, as he always fought before and after the accident,” said Bianchi Sr. “Every day, Jules is doing a marathon. From a medical point of view, his condition is stable. He 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 was said by the Japanese professor who was immediately operated in Yokkaichi, this is already day and night. There, when we arrived, with Jules's mother, there was no hope. The prognosis was alarmist. There was talk of irreversible damage, and a one-year period at least before the transfer, which was finally done after seven weeks, as he quickly could breathe again on his own.

“Neurologically, the doctors told us that there is no specific intervention to do. Most importantly, to stimulate Jules is 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. Also Gina, the German girlfriend of Jules, who lives here now.”

He added: “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? Hard to know. The important thing is that he is followed by excellent specialists.”

At Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix, Romain Grosjena brought his Lotus home in seventh place – his first points score since the 2014 Monaco GP. The Lotus driver dedicated the result to his countryman Jules Bianchi, who also made the points in that race.

“When I crossed the line there were big thoughts for Jules,” said Grosjean. “Last time I scored points he was scoring points as well. I think if I can give him a little bit of energy and a little bit of something for the fight he's in – I believe if you never give up, it goes true.

“It was a s*** day, that six months anniversary. It feels hard, he's with me on my helmet, I'm sending him as much thoughts and power as I can from what we do. I'm just hoping that a miracle happens.”