Marussia F1

Updates from Wednesday, Dec. 31

The parents of Jules Bianchi have provided an end-of-year update on the stricken F1 driver's status following the crash that has left his life in jeopardy.

Bianchi collided with a crane at the Japanese Grand Prix and is yet to regain consciousness, but a statement from the family on Facebook revealed the following, per Paul Gorst of the Daily Mirror: 

It was a significant and very comforting step for us to be able to bring Jules home to France last month, to continue his rehabilitation surrounded by his family and friends. This is very important for Jules and also for us.

Since that time, Jules has received the very best treatment in the Intensive Care Unit of Le Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice (CHU) and now at the CHU’s rehabilitation centre for this kind of trauma.

Jules’ neurological status remains unchanged; he is unconscious but able to breathe unaided. Whilst there is no significant information to report, we take a great deal of comfort from the fact that Jules continues to fight, as we knew he would, and this has enabled the medical professionals caring for him to commence the planned, but very painstaking, programme of rehabilitation therapy.

Updates from Wednesday, Dec. 3

Justin Hynes of JamesAllenOnF1.com passed along the findings of a report into Jules Bianchi's accident at the Japanese Grand Prix:

A 396-page report into the circumstances surrounding Jules Bianchi’s accident at the Japanese Grand Prix has concluded while “a number of key issues occurred, which may have contributed to the accident, none alone caused it” and that “it is not feasible to mitigate the injuries Bianchi suffered by either enclosing the driver’s cockpit, or fitting skirts to the crane”.

 

(...)

Chaired by FIA Safety Commission president Peter Wright and including former Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn and former Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali, the panel today issued its report which suggests a number of factors may have contributed to Bianchi crashing heavily on lap 43 of the race.

It states that a “semi-dry racing line at T 7 was abruptly narrowed by water draining onto the track and flowing downhill along it. Both Sutil, and Bianchi one lap later, lost control at this point in T7”. It also crucially says that “Bianchi did not slow sufficiently to avoid losing control at the same point on the track as Sutil” and that “if drivers adhere to the requirements of double yellow flags, as set out in Appendix H, Art. 2.4.5.1.b, then neither competitors nor officials should be put in immediate or physical danger”.

The report continues by saying that “the actions taken following Sutil’s accident were consistent with the regulations, and their interpretation following 384 incidents in the preceding eight years. Without the benefit of hindsight, there is no apparent reason why the Safety Car should have been deployed either before or after Sutil’s accident.”

The panel also concluded that Bianchi “over-controlled the oversteering car, such that he left the track earlier than Sutil, and headed towards a point ‘up-stream’ along the barrier. Unfortunately, the mobile crane was in front of this part of the barrier, and he struck and under-ran the rear of it at high speed”.

Updates from Wednesday, Nov. 19

Dan Roan of the BBC has an update on Bianchi's recovery:

F1 driver Jules Bianchi no longer in the artificial coma in which he was placed shortly after his accident, however he is still unconscious

— Dan Roan (@danroan) November 19, 2014

Bianchi breathing unaided, vital signs stable, but condition still ‘critical’..treatment now concerns improvement of brain function.

— Dan Roan (@danroan) November 19, 2014

Bianchi sufficiently stable to be repatriated to France & has been transferred by air to Le Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice

— Dan Roan (@danroan) November 19, 2014

  

Updates from Thursday, Oct. 30

Jules Bianchi's family released a fresh statement on Thursday, confirming the driver remains in a critical but stable condition following his crash at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Bianchi continues to fight for his life after his collision with a recovery crane, and his family indicated that his fight will go on, per Jack De Menezes of the Independent:

It will be four weeks this coming Sunday since Jules’ accident and he remains in the Mie General Medical Center in Yokkaichi. His condition continues to be classified by the medical professionals here as critical but stable.

Although we have no new information to give, we recognise that there are a huge number of people all around the world who are supporting Jules and willing him on in his fight. We owe it to his many fans to acknowledge the continued outpouring of messages, and to provide some information, however brief it may be.

Jules does indeed continue to fight. Although there have been some reports suggestive of plans for Jules’ treatment, at this time his fight will continue here in Yokkaichi. We are taking things step by step.

Updates from Monday, Oct. 20

The FIA announced that they will be investigating Bianchi's accident in an official statement on Monday:

The composition of a new FIA Accident Panel, as announced by FIA President Jean Todt in Sochi on 10 October 2014 following the accident involving Jules Bianchi at the Japanese Grand Prix, has been established.

The group will carry out a full review of the accident to gain a better understanding of what happened, and will propose new measures to reinforce safety at circuits, with recommendations to be made for the FIA President. The work of the group will start this week and a full presentation of its findings is to be made at the next meeting of the World Motor Sport Council on 3 December 2014 in Doha, Qatar.

Updates from Thursday, Oct. 16

The FIA has called on all F1 teams to report any information that will aid its investigation into Jules Bianchi's crash at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Bianchi continues to fight for his life in hospital after colliding with a recovery crane, and Marussia recently rejected allegations that the driver had been encouraged to ignore speed restrictions. The FIA's latest move will seek to find the truth, per Grand Prix 247:

The news, confirmed in a letter from the FIA to all Formula 1 teams this week, follows Marussia angrily hitting back at media reports the team and its French driver were to blame for Bianchi’s crash into a recovery vehicle at Suzuka 11 days ago.

The FIA letter asked teams to forward to the Paris federation “any information which you may have regarding the circumstances of this accident, and to keep all documents, testimonies and any pertinent information which may be of interest to the accident panel”.

Updates from Wednesday, Oct. 15

Marussia Racing Team angrily denied on Wednesday allegations that Jules Bianchi was ignoring speed restrictions in the moments before his crash at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Marussia has also been accused of ordering Bianchi to drive faster ahead of the accident that left him fighting for his life, but the team has issued the following response, per BBC Sport:

These allegations are entirely false. Jules did slow down under the double waved yellow flags. That is an irrefutable fact, as proven by the telemetry data, which the team has provided to the FIA.

Charlie Whiting, the FIA's race director, confirmed that the team had provided such data, that he himself had examined this data and that Jules did slow.

[...] It is quite clear from the [radio] transmission and the transcript that at no point during the period leading up to Jules' accident did the team urge Jules to drive faster, or make any comments suggesting that he should do so.

[The team is] distressed to have to respond to deeply upsetting rumours and inaccuracies in respect of the circumstances of Jules' accident.

However, given that these allegations are entirely false, the team has no alternative but to address these.

Updates from Tuesday, Oct. 14

Marussia Racing Team provided the following update on Bianchi's status:

At the request of the family of Jules Bianchi, and in conjunction with the Mie General Medical Center in Yokkaichi, the Marussia F1 Team is able to provide the following information regarding Jules’ medical condition:

The past nine days have been extremely difficult for Jules and his family. As a consequence of the accident at Suzuka, a number of medical challenges have needed to be overcome and the situation remains challenging due to the diffuse axonal traumatic brain injury Jules has sustained.

Jules remains in a critical but stable condition in the Intensive Care Unit of Mie General Medical Center in Yokkaichi. The Bianchi family continue to be comforted by the thoughts and prayers of Jules’ many fans and the motor sport community. In particular, the many demonstrations of support and affection during the course of the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi were of enormous comfort to Jules’ parents and the relatives and friends also present at the hospital.
The family will provide further medical updates when appropriate.

The father of Jules Bianchi has described his son's condition as "desperate" as the Frenchman continues to fight for his life in hospital.

Bianchi suffered severe head injuries after crashing into a recovery crane at the Japanese Grand Prix, and his father Philippe was quoted saying by BBC Sport:

The situation is desperate. Every time the telephone goes, we know it could be the hospital to tell us that Jules is dead.

He will not give up, I'm sure of that. I can see it. I believe it.

Updates from Friday, Oct. 10

Jules Bianchi's father, Philippe, revealed on Friday that there has been no change in the condition of his son, who remains critical after his horror crash at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Marussia driver Jules collided into a recovery crane, leaving him with severe head injuries, and his father delivered a brief update to Nice Matin (h/t Phil Duncan of the Mail Online):

Jules is fighting as he always did, the same way as if he was racing. He is strong.

There are no significant changes. Everyone knows that he is in a critical phase.

Marussia has confirmed it will run only one car at the Russian Grand Prix, keeping Bianchi's car in the garage as a tribute to the Frenchman:

We will race on with a single car in Sochi > http://t.co/XenOaxmuwZ @Jules_Bianchi #JB17 pic.twitter.com/0wPi0Wb0Uq

— Manor Racing (@ManorRacing) October 10, 2014

Daniel Johnson of the Telegraph reports that further family members have flown to Japan to be at Bianchi's bedside during this difficult time:

Updates from Thursday, Oct. 9

Alexander Rossi has been registered to step in as a substitute for Jules Bianchi at the Russian Grand Prix this weekend, following the Frenchman's horror crash at Suzuka.

Bianchi is currently in intensive care after a collision with a recovery crane, and Marussia has been forced into a decision the team would rather not have had to make. NBC's MotorSportsTalk highlights that Marussia is yet to officially confirm Rossi as the replacement, but F1 Paddock Pass tweeted the registration list:

Entry list for the #RussianGP. Rossi will run at @Marussia_F1Team this weekend. #ForzaJules #F1 pic.twitter.com/xhoMDW4Bfg

— F1 Paddock Pass (Back for 2024) (@F1PaddockPass) October 9, 2014

Force India driver Sergio Perez, meanwhile, has called for answers from the FIA in the aftermath of Bianchi's crash at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Bianchi is fighting for his life after his car aquaplaned off the track in adverse weather conditions. Perez insisted, per BBC Sports' Andrew Benson, that officials must take responsibility for the incident:

It is not acceptable. We have to look for answers from the FIA on what happened in this tragic accident. We have to make sure they hear us.

[...] 

In the future when there is a tractor coming up to pick up the car, we need a safety car, in no matter what conditions.

There is always a risk, even if it is dry, because you expose the marshals and a lot of people. You can have people running out of brakes. There are so many factors you never expect so if you have the tractor there it is a big problem.

Updates from Tuesday, Oct. 7

Jules Bianchi's family has released a statement on the driver's condition on the Marussia team website:

“This is a very difficult time for our family, but the messages of support and affection for Jules from all over the world have been a source of great comfort to us. We would like to express our sincere appreciation.

Jules remains in the Intensive Care Unit of the Mie General Medical Center in Yokkaichi. He has suffered a diffuse axonal injury and is in a critical but stable condition. The medical professionals at the hospital are providing the very best treatment and care and we are grateful for everything they have done for Jules since his accident.

We are also grateful for the presence of Professor Gerard Saillant, President of the FIA Medical Commission, and Professor Alessandro Frati, Neurosurgeon of the University of Rome La Sapienza, who has travelled to Japan at the request of Scuderia Ferrari. They arrived at the hospital today and met with the medical personnel responsible for Jules’ treatment, in order to be fully informed of his clinical status so that they are able to advise the family. Professors Saillant and Frati acknowledge the excellent care being provided by the Mie General Medical Center and would like to thank their Japanese colleagues.

The hospital will continue to monitor and treat Jules and further medical updates will be provided when appropriate.”

BrainandSpinalCord.org reported the prognosis for people with Bianchi's condition, saying "About 90% of survivors with severe diffuse axonal injury remain unconscious. The 10% that regain consciousness are often severely impaired."

A full and immediate investigation has been ordered by FIA president Jean Todt into the circumstances that led to Jules Bianchi's crash at Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix.

Bianchi remains in a critical, but stable condition after his car collided with a recovery crane—leaving him with severe brain injuries. Todt is determined to find out if the accident could have been avoided in what were hazardous conditions at Suzuka, per the Telegraph's Daniel Johnson:

Byron Young of the Daily Mirror reports that the specific type of recovery crane used by Formula One, with which Bianchi collided on Sunday, will likely still be in use at the Russian Grand Prix despite safety fears.

Young writes:

MirrorSport has been told there is unlikely to be sufficient time to make fundamental changes for Formula 1’s debut in Sochi this coming Sunday.

Bianchi hit a crane deployed in a sand trap to remove a car from an earlier accident. Such recovery vehicles are widely used around the world for international sporting events.

Despite criticisms from the likes of Martin Brundle and Jacques Villeneuve they remain a vital part of event management. And the layout and structure of Sochi in particular means they are unlikely to be such a factor.

Suzuka spokesman, Masamichi Miyazaki, has defended the decision of race officials not to halt the race before Bianchi's crash, reported by Reuters via Eurosport:

Officials raised 'double yellow flags' after the accident by Sutil, which means drivers had to slow down to the speed that they can immediately stop, but unfortunately Bianchi's car aquaplaned right at the time and ran into the accident site, which was bad luck.

Admittedly, rain was coming and the road was wet, but not heavy enough to halt the race, and I believe the race officials made the same judgement.

Bernie Ecclestone has also called for an into the accident in an interview with The Times, via Motor Sports Talk:

'It’s difficult for me to say what happened and it will be for an inquiry to find out exactly what did go on,' said Ecclestone, who was not at Suzuka Circuit this weekend.

'We have done so much for safety. These days, you see an accident on the track and the driver undoes his safety belt, flips off his steering wheel and jumps out unharmed.

'I have always said that if I was going to have an accident, it would be in a Formula One car because they are the safest in the world. But things happen and we have to find out the cause. This happened to a young man who is very close to us all and that has caused a terrible shock for everyone.

'Our thoughts are with him and his family.'

 

Updates from Monday, Oct. 6

Jules Bianchi of British-based F1 team Marussia remains in hospital with severe brain injuries on Monday following his crash at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix.

The Frenchman required surgery following a collision with a recovery crane, and an official statement was released by his team on Monday:

Following the accident involving Jules Bianchi during yesterday’s 2014 Formula One Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit, the Marussia F1 Team would like to acknowledge the huge outpouring of support and affection for Jules and the Team at this very difficult time.

With regard to the communication of information concerning Jules’ medical condition, we will respect, and be guided by, the wishes of the Bianchi family. Together with Jules’ care, they will remain our highest priority. Therefore, we would ask for patience and understanding with regard to further medical updates, which will be communicated in conjunction with the Mie General Medical Center in Yokkaichi, where Jules is being treated, when they feel it is appropriate.

Representatives of the Marussia F1 Team and Scuderia Ferrari will remain at the hospital to support Jules and the Bianchi family.

BBC.com's Staff added Bianchi was in critical, but stable condition.

Inevitably, the actions of race organisers have been questioned in the aftermath of the incident, with Felipe Massa revealing via Mirror Sport's Jim Daly:

I was screaming on the radio five laps before the safety car that there was too much water on the track. It was dangerous.

However, Byron Young of the Mirror quotes Jenson Button, who insists the FIA did a good job of dealing with the extreme conditions at Suzuka: 

I think the FIA did a really good job of controlling the situation. It's so difficult. They are listening to all the drivers talking on the radio the whole time.

I think they did a very good job to control the situation because it's not easy for them.

Original Text

Marussia driver Jules Bianchi was taken to the hospital unconscious after a crash at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix.

The 25-year-old Frenchman's incident was not shown on television screens, but BBC Sport reported that Bianchi lost control of his car in the same area of a previous crash, which was still being cleaned up. 

There was confusion in the initial aftermath, but the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile's official spokesman gave an early update on Bianchi's condition, per Autosport's Jon Noble: 

Further clarification on the use of ambulance over helicopter came later:

A couple of hours after the incident, Bianchi's father spoke to French television, clarifying that his son had suffered head trauma, that his condition was critical and that he was undergoing surgery.

Those words were subsequently confirmed by the FIA's official statement, reported by Noble:

Adrian Sutil, who had been involved in a crash at the same turn, appeared to suggest that Bianchi had hit the recovery crane side-on:

Teams immediately said their thoughts were with their colleague:

F1 Racing on NBC Sports later reported that Bianchi is out of surgery:

Jules Bianchi is out of surgery and is breathing independently following his crash at Suzuka today http://t.co/CvBk79oplv #F1onNBC

— F1® Racing on NBC (@F1onNBCSports) October 5, 2014

Bianchi, born in Nice, France, has taken part in 34 races in his career. He's part of Ferrari's young driver programme and is in his second season in F1. 

Updates will be added here as soon as official word comes through.

Marussia and Caterham are Formula One's "new teams."

Despite both now being well-established, they retain this title because neither has managed to make the transition from new-on-the-block backmarker to midfield runner.

Force India managed it in a season-and-a-half, and Toro Rosso went from Minardi to regular points-scorers in two.

But Marussia and Caterham started out last, and are still last.

Is their time running out?

Marussia have been in Formula One since the start of the 2011 season. Their entry began life as Virgin Racing, before the Russian sports car company bought a controlling stake in the team at the end of the 2010 season.

It was renamed Virgin Marussia for 2011, and the full Marussia re-brand was completed in time for 2012.

Since their debut, Marussia have competed in 70 races and scored just two points—both by Jules Bianchi at the 2014 Monaco Grand Prix. It was a first-class drive, but points would have been out of the question had so many others not hit trouble.

Caterham dwell in a similar boat. The team founded by Malaysian businessman Tony Fernandes began racing at the start of 2010, calling themselves Lotus. In 2012 they switched to their current name.

They have tended to aim higher and have always had a slightly larger budget than Marussia, but they too have struggled for results.

From 89 starts, the team have a grand total of zero points.

Neither team has been anywhere near a Top 10 finish on pace alone, and in any normal qualifying session, they will occupy the rear two rows of the grid.

And neither has shown any sign of being able to improve any time soon.

F1 is an arena in which money leads to success, which in turn leads to more money and more success.

Teams at the top of the constructors' championship—who typically have larger budgets to begin with, courtesy of their owners—receive a much greater share of the prize fund than those at the bottom. This helps them maintain their position at the front of the field.

They can afford the best drivers, engineers and other technical staff, and can spend far more on researching and developing their cars. This (usually) gives them a substantial performance advantage

In addition, certain teams receive a benefit from historic or current success in the form of additional payments for their "importance" to the sport.

Per Dieter Rencken's article in Autosport (subscription required), Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren and Williams get these payments just for turning up.

The smaller fish have lower budgets to begin with, don't get "thanks for coming" bonuses and, because they tend to finish lower in the championship, receive less of the prize pot.

They can't afford the best drivers and have less to spend on their cars. They're also unattractive to the best sponsors, who have little interest in being associated with failure.

The vicious circle remains intact, and they remain rooted firmly in the bottom half of the field, struggling to raise enough cash to stay afloat.

It's hard enough for teams like Force India and Sauber, who occasionally produce a solid result and are (usually) regular points-scorers.

For true back-markers like Marussia and Caterham, it's an even greater problem. They can't even attract the "good" pay-drivers—they have to settle for lower amounts, often from lesser talents.

It's never enough.

Putting two cars on the grid and making them quick enough to be halfway competitive costs more than such teams will ever receive from sponsorship and prize money.

Their owners have to stump up the difference—and they can't continue to do so indefinitely.

In an ideal world, Marussia and Caterham would each attract a wealthy benefactor or partner, willing to pump hundreds of millions into the team to propel them up the grid.

This would lead to better results, more prize money and greater appeal to sponsors—the vicious circle would become a happy, smiley one.

But if they continue in their current state, they're not going to last.

Without any success or hint that it might be around the corner, those funding the teams will sooner or later come to the conclusion that there's no point carrying on.

Tony Fernandes did just that, and without a last-minute rescue by the Colin Kolles-advised group of investors, Caterham might have folded back in July.

Even now, they are resorting to selling their best driver's seat on a race-by-race basis to raise additional funds. That's no way to go racing at the top level.

Marussia's situation is perhaps even more perilous. As reported by Wroom.ru, the company after which they're named—Marussia Motors—closed its doors and shut down earlier this year.

If they were doing well, there'd be every reason to keep the F1 team going. But what's the point of an unsuccessful, unprofitable F1 entry set up to promote a company that no longer exists as a trading entity?

The entire reason for the team being there has gone.

If new, wealthier owners come in for Marussia, and the new team in charge of Caterham injects some serious money, both could continue in the sport for many years to come.

But without success—at the very least occasional points and regular departures from the back rows of the grid—there's little reason for either to still be around by the end of 2016.

MONTREAL — Marussia team principal John Booth is a hot property in the paddock this weekend after his team scored their first points at the Monaco Grand Prix a fortnight ago. 

"It's a very satisfying feeling on Monday," he told me when I spoke to him in the Marussia hospitality area at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve on Friday morning.

"Go back to the factory and have a glass of champagne with the whole team, and it's wonderful. But then it's straight into thinking about Canada, a different animal of a track altogether. Will we be as competitive here as we were in Monaco?"

That is the million-dollar question right now for Marussia. And not only in Canada—will they be as competitive anywhere else as they were around the streets of the principality?

In the FIA press conference on Friday, Marussia's chief engineer Dave Greenwood said:

Obviously on pure pace alone we’re not going to repeat that result this weekend. ... But the bottom line is if you’re fighting with the cars that are trying to take the eighth, ninth and tenth-place spots, they’re good competitors, so you need to have a reasonable amount of pace to be able to stay with them.

And that is exactly where Marussia was in Monaco. But the team's long-awaited leap into the top 10 was partly the result of upgrades the team brought to the previous race in Spain.

"We brought quite a few upgrades to the Barcelona race," Booth told me. "A different suspension that allowed us to maximize the ride height, new aero parts. But during a race weekend, it's very difficult to maximize all these parts, or fine-tune them."

There was a two-day test immediately following the Spanish Grand Prix, though, and those days allowed Marussia to calibrate their new kit.

When Max Chilton set the fastest lap on the first day of the test, it was largely dismissed because he set it on supersoft tyres while many of the usual front-runners were using a harder compound. It is clear from the results in Monaco, though, that Marussia were on to something.

"Our first objective was to get to Q2 on merit," Booth told me. "I think in Monaco, we could have done that. We had a gearbox issue, or a differential issue, on Jules' [Bianchi] car in qualifying which prevented that. We had to change the gearbox, so he started right at the back, but I think in terms of competitiveness, we could have gotten to Q2 on merit."

Based on my analysis of Marussia's qualifying pace, the numbers certainly support that assertion.

The team has been slowly building to this level over the last four-and-a-half years. In 2013, they beat Caterham in the Constructors' Championship for the first time and finished 10th. Still, said Booth, "Last year, there were many occasions when Caterham had a quicker car than us. This year, we're well ahead of Caterham on pace."

Bianchi demonstrated that pace in Monaco with a dramatic pass on Caterham's Kamui Kobayashi halfway through the grand prix.

Although there was contact and Caterham was unhappy with the manoeuvre, Booth said, "It was never mentioned by the stewards at all."

"We thought it was brilliant and the officials saw nothing wrong with it. It was a mega move—you don't get many chances around there. Kimi [Raikkonen] obviously distracted Kamui for that instant, and Jules took it."

Booth said that, "Once Jules passed Kobayashi...we started asking, 'Can we do one stop? Can we do 52 laps on one set of options?' And we started chatting to Jules about this possibility. He thought he could make it and maintain the pace he was doing, so that became the strategy."

That move did not guarantee Marussia their points, though. Earlier in the race, Bianchi had served a five-second penalty during a safety-car period, which is not allowed. I asked Booth why they chose to have him serve the penalty at that time, knowing that it might not count.

"The rule is a bit confusing," Booth admitted. "The first part of it is quite clear, that if you don't take your five-second penalty at the first available pit stop, then you're excluded. End of story. So we felt we had to take it then just to cover ourselves."

Late in the race, with Bianchi in 10th place, it became clear that five seconds would be added to his time to make up for the penalty served under the safety car. With Romain Grosjean just behind him, that would have bumped the Marussia out of the points.

"Initially, we tried to push away from Grosjean," Booth told me, "but it would have totally killed the tyres if we pushed any harder. So we knew that was our fate."

Fate—and Raikkonen—smiled on Marussia that Sunday in Monaco, though. When the Finn made a clumsy attempt to pass Kevin Magnussen into the hairpin late in the race, Bianchi was able to pass both of them. Even with the extra five-second penalty, he still finished ninth.

Marussia is now ahead of Caterham and Sauber in the Constructors' Championship and looking to build on the Monaco result. The Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve is better-suited to the high-powered Mercedes engines, so, as Greenwood said, the team is not anticipating an encore performance in Montreal.

"Just getting the car to Jerez [for preseason testing] was not quite a miracle, but beyond expectations," Booth admitted. "So we really didn't know where we would figure this year."

From that uncertain beginning to points in Monaco has been quite a journey. More opportunities will surely come, and if Marussia keeps improving the way they have so far this year, they will be ready to exploit them.

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At the 2014 Monaco Grand Prix, Marussia's Jules Bianchi finished in the top 10 for the first time in the team's history, securing their first world championship points.

Bianchi finished ahead of Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen and McLaren's Kevin Magnussen (assisted by the Finn's ill-advised passing manoeuvre at the hairpin), as well as Lotus' Romain Grosjean, although a five-second penalty bumped Bianchi behind his countryman in the official classification.

The question is: Was Marussia's performance just a fluke, assisted by several DNFs and the nature of the Circuit de Monaco, where passing is very difficult (though not impossible—cf. Bianchi and Nico Hulkenberg), or was it the culmination of a series of incremental improvements over the last four-and-a-half years?

Before the season, I examined whether Marussia and their fellow 2010 newcomer, Caterham, had been making any discernible progress up the grid despite not having any points to show for their efforts. The answer was yes, and I wrote that "it is not a stretch to imagine a race early in the 2014 season where a few engine failures, perhaps a collision leading to a couple retirements, and Caterham and Marussia's increased pace combine to allow one of those teams to finally sneak into the top 10."

Now that it has happened, let's look at one of the trends identified in that article and see if they have continued into this season.

Here are the average Q1 gaps between the highest-ranked Marussia car and the lowest-ranked car of the more established teams:

Team	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014
Marussia	+1.353s	+2.037s	+1.859s	+0.918s	+0.048s

As you can see, Marussia has reduced the average gap every year since 2011, continuing that trend through the first six races this season.

The number for 2014 is skewed by the qualifying results from Australia, where Lotus barely made it onto the track and Bianchi's teammate Max Chilton out-qualified Grosjean by 2.700 seconds. Without that result, the average gap from Marussia to the more established teams is a less impressive, but still improved, 0.598 seconds.

Bianchi believes the gap has closed to the back of the midfield, although Marussia still has lots of work to do. "I don't want to say that we are able to score points every race because it's not real," he told Autosport's Jonathan Noble. "I would say that now we are able to fight with Sauber."

In certain circumstances that is true, but some of the data provided by the FIA demonstrate that there is still a gap between Marussia (and Caterham) and the bigger teams—even Sauber.

Of the drivers that finished the race in Monaco, only Kamui Kobayashi had a slower fastest lap than Bianchi, and that can partially be explained by the fact that Kobayashi's car was damaged when Bianchi barged past him at La Rascasse on Lap 35.

In the key laps following the safety car and at the end of the race, though, Bianchi's lap times were not out of place with the drivers around him. 

Lap	Jules Bianchi	Romain Grosjean	Felipe Massa	Marcus Ericsson
31	1m 24.044s	1m 23.788s	1m 23.578s	1m 25.005s
32	1m 23.586	1m 23.285s	1m 22.224s	1m 23.126s
33	1m 24.599s	1m 24.516s	1m 21.606s	1m 23.663s
34	1m 22.638s	1m 22.899s	1m 21.470s	1m 23.112s
35	1m 24.147s	1m 24.245s	1m 21.175s	1m 23.797s

Still, it should be noted that the lack of passing opportunities in Monaco can artificially inflate lap times for drivers stuck behind slower cars. On a circuit with longer straights, they might easily pass the car in front using DRS and then demonstrate their true pace. 

Bianchi was only 13th fastest through the speed trap in Monaco, and of the cars that finished the race, Grosjean was the only driver who was slower, aside from Chilton and the Caterhams.

For the following table, which shows the final five laps of the race, remember that Bianchi was on supersoft tyres, while the other drivers were using the soft compound, which presumably showed much less wear.

Lap	Jules Bianchi	Romain Grosjean	Felipe Massa	Marcus Ericsson
73	1m 23.979s	1m 22.814s	1m 22.188s	1m 21.932s
74	1m 23.822s	1m 23.242s	1m 21.537s	1m 21.380s
75	1m 22.895s	1m 23.033s	1m 21.861s	1m 21.422s
76	1m 22.848s	1m 22.746s	1m 23.122s	1m 21.679s
77	1m 22.849s	1m 23.003s	1m 24.091s	1m 21.823s

That Bianchi was still able to put in these times at the end of the race is somewhat shocking. Hulkenberg, who also switched to super soft tyres for his second stint, struggled to the finish with a train of cars behind him.

So, Marussia's ongoing improvements put them in a position to challenge the teams at the back of the midfield. However, it still took the unique circumstances of Monaco to give Marussia an opportunity to sneak into the top 10.

When the opportunity arrived, though, Bianchi seized it and refused to let go. 

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It took nearly four-and-a-half years, but Marussia finally scored their first world championship points this weekend at the Monaco Grand Prix. Jules Bianchi finished ninth for the Banbury-based team, making them the first of the new teams who joined Formula One in 2010 to score any points.

Earlier in the attrition-filled race, it seemed Marussia's rivals at the back of the grid, Caterham, would be the ones to snag a top-10 finish.

On Lap 35, Kamui Kobayashi was running in 12th place when Kimi Raikkonen passed him on the run from Tabac to La Rascasse. As Raikkonen went through, Bianchi followed, pushing Kobayashi wide and damaging the Caterham car.

That proved to be the decisive move, and Bianchi found himself eighth as engines gave out and Raikkonen parked his car at the hairpin with Kevin Magnussen stuck to his sidepod.

He finished there, ahead of Romain Grosjean, but an unfortunate circumstance where Bianchi was unable to properly serve a five-second penalty during his pit stop led to him being bumped behind the Lotus in the official results.

Still, the two points for ninth are a massive result for Marussia. Not only are they ahead of Caterham, but also Sauber, as the Swiss team has failed to score yet this season. The potential financial rewards for Marussia could be approximately $40 million, should they finish this year ninth in the Constructors' Championship.

After the race, Marussia team principal John Booth said, per the official F1 website:

Naturally we are overjoyed at today’s result and it is a fantastic reward for all the hard work and determination, not just this year, but over the past four and a bit seasons. ... A lot of this weekend’s clear step stems from the progress we made at the recent Barcelona Test. We were cautiously optimistic about our performance increment, but we really needed to see it translate into a good race here in Monaco before we could feel too confident. 

That cautious optimism proved to be well-founded.

Before the season, I demonstrated that both Marussia and Caterham have been slowly closing the gap to the more established teams. That increased pace, combined with eight retirements, finally allowed Marussia to sneak into the points. 

According to the official F1 site, Bianchi admitted that, "It was not an easy race; there were some enjoyable highs along the way, but also a couple of concerning moments too. What matters at the end is that we got there and we can savour the highlights for a long time to come."

At Caterham, the mood was understandably more subdued, despite Marcus Ericsson matching the team's best-ever finish, in 11th place.

Kobayashi lamented, via a team press release, that:

Even though we finished in 13th I’m really not happy as I’m sure I’d have finished in the points if Bianchi hadn’t hit me when he forced his way past. The car was basically undriveable after that so just finishing is a good result. ... 

I don’t really know why nothing was done about that as he basically just forced me out of the way by hitting me which meant both the Marussia and my teammate could pass and after that the car felt really bad. The impact had caused a lot of damage to the sidepod and the floor and I lost a lot of rear downforce.

It is difficult to say whether Bianchi's pass on Kobayashi should have been penalised or not. It was certainly a thrilling manoeuvre, and the contact seemed incidental, but drivers have been given penalties for cleaner passes before (see the 2013 Belgian Grand Prix for an example).

In the end, though, it is better that the stewards did not step in. The drivers need to be allowed to race and, with everyone complaining about the lack of overtaking in Monaco, they should not be punished when they do take a chance and accidentally bump another car.

Of course Kobayashi will be upset, but that is just the nature of racing.

In the meantime, it was all celebration in the Marussia garage. After a night of partying in Monaco, the team will want to refocus on Montreal, though.

The Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve is another track with the potential for plenty of retirements, and Marussia will be keen to keep their newly won position as king of the backmarkers. 

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When Maria de Villota’s Marussia MR-01 crashed into a support truck at Duxford airfield in Cambridge on July 3, 2012 a promising career was cut short.

De Villota had been completing a straightline test when her car struck a team support truck while returning to the pits. She lost her right eye in the accident, but her life was saved, and de Villota recovered after a series of operations to take an active part in motor racing as an ambassador for the FIA’s Women in Motorsport Commission.

Talking almost a year ago to the day about her accident, de Villota said she had a new outlook on life and that the experience had given her “back what’s important” in life as quoted on BBC Sport at the time.

It makes today’s news all the more heartbreaking. De Villota was found dead in a hotel room in Seville, as reported by BBC Sport.

De Villota's death is a great loss to motorsport, with her passion for racing shining through in the BBC interview previously mentioned.

Before, I only saw F1, I saw myself in a car competing. I did not see what was important in life, the clarity to say: 'I am alive.' It has given me my bearings, given me back what's important. I accept it with the energy to say I am going to live out this chance 100%.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWKlvQFXwKo

The daughter of former F1 driver Emilio, racing was in de Villota’s blood from an early age, and she followed the traditional route of karting before moving to the Spanish Formula Toyota series in 2000.

Three full seasons in the Spanish Formula 3 Championship followed before de Villota switched her attention from single-seaters to tin tops, competing in the Ferrari Challenge Europe in 2005-2006, four races in the World Touring Car Championship between 2006 and 2007 and the Spanish GT Championship also in 2007.

Her biggest success racing closed roof cars came in the German ADAC Procar series in 2007, de Villota winning at the Nurburgring for Maurer Motorsport en route to an impressive third in the championship standings.

Despite her successful 2007, it was clear that the ambitious de Villota had bigger fish to fry, and she moved back to single-seaters in 2008. She finished seventh in a one-off appearance in the Euroseries 3000 at Spa-Francorchamps before competing in the opening three rounds of the Formula Palmer Audi championship in 2009.

A prolonged spell racing in the Superleague Formula for Atletico Madrid followed, but de Villota’s big break came when Renault invited her to test their Formula One car at the Paul Ricard Circuit in France in August 2011.

In doing so, de Villota became the first female driver since Katherine Legge back in 2005 to drive a Formula One car, completing 180 trouble-free miles, and her thoughts on her breakthrough moment were published Autosport.

As a female driver, I was very happy to get the opportunity to drive in a Formula 1 car. Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motor racing and has always been a dream for me. The running went very well, conditions were ideal, and the team made me feel at ease straight away. It did not take too long to get used to the car and, after I felt comfortable with it, I was able to start pushing and, as a result, really enjoyed the experience.

The impressive outing led Marussia to hire de Villota as their test driver ahead of the 2012 season, and after attending the first series of European races de Villota finally had her chance behind the wheel at Duxford.

She had completed one run and was returning to the mechanics when the car suddenly accelerated into the back of a team support truck.

Despite losing her right eye, de Villota maintained a healthy outlook on life and was looking forward to the next chapter as reported by BBC Sport.

I have motorsport in my DNA and there's no way I can stay away from that world. I want to keep fighting because I believe so strongly in women being part of motor racing. Now I have a physical impediment but before I didn't and I want someone else to take over.

Female drivers in F1 are a rare breed. De Villota followed in the footsteps of Katherine Legge, who tested for Minardi in 2005, Sarah Fisher, who drove a McLaren at Indianapolis in 2002, Giovanna Amati, who failed to qualify for three races with Brabham in 1992, and Lella Lombardi, who started 12 Grands Prix back in the 1970s.

But it is perhaps best left to the words of current Williams test driver Susie Wolff, who dedicated her first drive in F1 to de Villota in July of this year as quoted by The Sporting Life:

She is an incredible lady. Before you even talk about her as a racing driver, you have to know she is an incredible person, an inspiration. We were in contact a couple of weeks ago and she told me to drive for the both of us now, that I would be out there representing us both. I had Maria’s star on my helmet, it’s with pride I have that and, without a doubt, I was driving for the two of us.

Is Max Chilton really ready for Formula One? That was the question on many people’s lips before the opening weekend of the season in Australia.

The good thing for Chilton was that he wasn’t alone in being the only rookie on the grid. The bad news was that coming into F1 Chilton hadn’t really set the racing world alight, his first two seasons in GP2 yielding just seven points as opposed to current teammate Jules Bianchi, who was third and second in the respective championship seasons.

A more competitive year in 2012 saw him finish fourth with two race wins, but Chilton also comes with investment from individuals and businesses in order to give minnows Marussia much-needed funding. It always throws up that old pay driver quandary of talent vs. money, so has Chilton justified his place in the team?

On statistics alone, the answer must be no. Bianchi has outqualified Chilton in nine out of the 10 races to date and finished ahead of the Englishman on six occasions, which would have been eight barring two retirements. While Bianchi has clearly been the stand-out of the Marussia vs. Caterham battle, it’s probably fairer to judge Chilton on his battles with the men in green and, notably, Giedo van der Garde.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGxGstNf4tU

Australia was a mixed bag. Chilton tangled with van der Garde, which necessitated a front-wing change, but he was still able to pass his rival by the finish.

He qualified ahead of the Dutchman in Malaysia but was the last of the finishers before a stronger showing in China saw him ahead of both Caterhams on the grid and van der Garde by the finish.

Chilton again bettered van der Garde in Bahrain and Spain, but he showed his inexperience in Monaco when he didn’t see Pastor Maldonado’s Williams on his right and tipped the Colombian into the barriers at Tabac, leading to a drive-through penalty. That he still passed van der Garde on the penultimate lap for 14th showed a good temperament to put things quickly behind him, as summarised in his team’s press release.

Overall I'm pleased with a positive conclusion to the race after what has been a difficult weekend for us. I fought hard in the latter stages to ensure we had something good to take away from Monaco and naturally I am very happy that I was able to get past Van Der Garde on the penultimate lap for 14th. With regard to the accident with Pastor, Esteban made a late lunge into the chicane and I could see he was locked up so I had to take action to avoid him, which meant missing the chicane. I rejoined coming out of Turn 11 and the apex to Turn 12 was fast approaching. I was aware that someone was behind me but not alongside me. The stewards determined a drive-through penalty for me and I accept that decision.

He again outqualified van der Garde in Canada but was last of the classified finishers before again finishing ahead of his Dutch rival in Britain and Germany.

That Chilton is classified behind van der Garde and 22nd in the drivers’ standings appears to be a bit of an anomaly given that he’s been the more consistent performer on paper, but we shouldn’t read too much into that.

The second half of the season will be more of an indication whether or not Chilton has done enough to keep a coveted place at the table of the highest form of motorsport.

Max's Midseason Marks

Temperament: 6/10

Qualifying: 6/10

Race craft: 6/10

Summary: Chilton has been comprehensively outshone by teammate Bianchi but stacked up favourably against fellow rookie van der Garde. Consistent if uninspiring.

One of five rookies on the F1 grid for the 2013 season, Frenchman Jules Bianchi joined the Marussia team after finishing as the runner-up in the Formula Renault 3.5 series and acting as Force India’s official reserve driver.

Notably, he was third in the 2011 GP2 Series ahead of Charles Pic, Giedo van der Garde, Esteban Gutierrez and Max Chilton. And although Pic already had one full F1 season under his belt at Marussia before making the switch to Caterham and Gutierrez having a more competitive seat at Sauber, Bianchi looked the more polished newbie on paper.

The season-opener in Australia appeared to bear that out, Bianchi outqualifying Chilton and the Caterhams and staying well ahead of his nearest rivals to the chequered flag. After the race, Bianchi was understandably pleased as indicated by his post race quotes on Autosport's website. 

I am very happy with my race today and really can't imagine a better start to my first season of F1. We have not had the luxury of time so I would like to thanks my engineers, car crew and the whole team for helping me to be as prepared as possible and for a great job today. It would seem that the Team have made a big step over the winter and it is very nice to see them reacting positively to this.

If Australia was a good start for Bianchi, Malaysia was even better, the Frenchman again outqualifying teammate Chilton and the Caterhams and even holding off the Williams of Pastor Maldonado for long periods en route to 13th at the end of an attritional race that saw six retirements.

"Obviously I'm delighted to finish 13th today, after 15th in my first race last weekend. I hope this is a trend we can continue,” Autosport quoted Bianchi as saying afterwards. 

For the first time in the season, Bianchi was not the lead Marussia or Caterham as compatriot Pic finished ahead in Bahrain and Spain, albeit by just two and one place respectively.

Next came Monaco and a reality check. An electrical problem on the grid meant Bianchi had to start from the pit lane, but he was able to keep pace with Chilton until debris from his teammate’s accident with Maldonado damaged his front wing before a brake disc failure at Ste Devote ended his race.

Another solid effort in Canada again saw Bianchi finish as best of the red and green backmarking machines in 17th almost a lap ahead of Pic, and he again enjoyed a decent scrap with his French compadre at Silverstone, finishing five seconds behind but well ahead of Chilton and van der Garde.

Germany proved the low point of his impressive debut season, although through no fault of his own, as his race ended in a fiery engine failure on lap 21, Bianchi fleeing his blazing Marussia before it rolled back across the circuit, bringing out the safety car.

Hungary offered rare disappointment as the Marussias finished a lap behind the two Caterhams for the first time, but Bianchi has certainly proven himself a more than capable driver during the first half of 2013 and so far worthy of his race seat.

Jules’ mid-season marks

Temperament: 7/10

Qualifying: 7/10

Race craft: 7/10

Summary: It's hard to say anything bad about Bianchi’s debut half term. He has outqualified and outraced his rivals on the majority of occasions, and it will be intriguing to see how the Caterham-Marussia battle of the Frenchmen continues.

The 2013 Formula One season is two races old, and already we've seen plenty of drama and incidents. With a three-week gap between the Malaysian and Chinese Grand Prix, it's a good time to look at where each team has found itself.

We'll start where we finished 2012 (if we ignore the now-defunct HRT), with last year's 11th-placed team Marussia.

The Car

Before the season got underway, it was clear the 2013 Marussia MR02 looked like a much better starting point than the MR01 of last year. Part of that might have been the much improved paint job, but the car itself looked tidy—and more importantly, it was ready for preseason testing.

Aware that their budget and facilities would never allow them to match the top dogs, the team didn't try to do everything at once. No giant leap was attempted.

Instead, Marussia's approach was to first get the simple things right—and on the evidence of the opening two races, they've done that very well. The car has proved reliable, tyre usage doesn't appear overly excessive and there are no doubt bits and pieces already in the process of being improved.

Drivers

Jules Bianchi has shown very promising pace, outqualifying both Caterhams in both races and coming surprisingly close to the "midfield" teams. In Australia he was just eight tenths of a second from getting into Q2, and in Malaysia it was six tenths.

The gap to Williams' Pastor Maldonado—a man who, despite his frequent difficulties elsewhere, is considered a good qualifier—was half a second or less on each occasion.

In the races the gap to the midfield was more pronounced at the end, but compared to fellow backmarker Caterham, Bianchi performed well in each.

The same can't be said for Max Chilton.

The gap to Bianchi at the end of the Malaysian Grand Prix was a minute (a shade over 50 seconds in Australia). In qualifying, Bianchi has been (on average) a whole second faster.

In his defence, he doesn't have Bianchi's F1 experience—though he'd started no races prior to 2013, the Frenchman had done plenty of testing and practice—and in both races Chilton had battles with a Caterham, while his teammate had a relatively clear run.

And two races, especially a driver's first two, aren't much to use as a comparison. But without wishing to play "bash the newbie," he's not currently doing enough.

The team can only only hope he'll start to close the gap once he's found his feet within the sport.

Season Expectations

Last season Marussia started off behind Caterham, but this year the positions have been reversed.

It's unlikely that the Russian team—who have the smallest budget on the grid—can out-develop teams like Williams and Sauber to join the midfield pack, and Marussia probably weren't (realistically) aiming for that anyway.

It's all about beating Caterham.

Marussia showed an ability to improve their car last year, and with Pat Symonds (formerly of Toleman, Benetton, Renault and an enforced absence from the sport due to Crashgate) heading up the technical department, they have a vastly experienced man at the helm.

But last year they were starting from a much lower point, and their quest for extra speed no doubt benefited from having the experienced Timo Glock around. And we can't forget Caterham have good people too, as well as a number of significant changes planned for their car.

Though Marussia currently look favourites to claim 10th in the Constructors' Championship, the lack of budget and experience in their driver lineup may prove costly.

The 2012 Formula One seasons starts on March 16 in Melbourne, Australia.

This time next week, free practice will have already have been completed.

How are the teams looking ahead of the new season? Here we look at the back of the grid: HRT and Marussia.

HRT

The perception of HRT is that they are firmly stuck at the back of the grid. This is wrong. The team is ahead of Marussia (the team previously known as Virgin) and finished 11th in the constructors’ championship in 2010 and 2011.

The team’s problem appears to be with its identity.

HRT is trying to be a Spanish national team and is trying to set up a base in Spain. The reality is that the car is built in Germany and many of the suppliers are from the UK. Having the team spread so widely across Europe is never going to be an advantage.

However, it must be assumed that the management, now led by former grand prix driver Luis Pérez-Sala, are working towards that end.

The car got some on-track running on the Monday after the final test of the year, where both Narain Karthikeyan and Pedro de la Rosa got to sample the new machine. Whether it truly is a step forward from their 2011 car is unclear, but they narrowly failed to qualify in Australia last year and so making the grid would be a strong start.

On no other occasion in 2011 did the team to fail to qualify for a race, and by round four they were mixing with the Virgin’s in qualifying. At the last round of the year, in Brazil, they outqualified both of the red and black cars.

There is certainly some technical ability within the personnel HRT has hired over the past few years. Losing the likes of Geoff Willis was a blow and was perhaps unnecessary, but the team’s progress last year suggests there is a core of talent somewhere.

The drivers are journeymen. They can pull out the odd performance, but they are generally just a safe pair of hands. For a team in HRT’s position, it’s understandable that they’ve gone for this recruitment policy. They need to bag a 12th- or a 13th-place finish to get ahead of Marussia in the constructors’ championship for the third year on the bounce.

Karthikeyan brings a substantial sum of cash to the team via Tata. So why not hire a young driver to drive the other car? HRT could develop him and then sell him on to a bigger team.

Marussia

When Virgin entered Formula 1 in 2010, they thought they knew what they were getting involved in. They thought a cost cap was going to come into effect. When it didn’t, they had to change their plans and it has taken a number of years for the team to adjust to their new terrain.

The first two cars were designed using computational fluid dynamics, effectively a very powerful computer that aimed to remove the need to put components into an expensive wind tunnel. It was a good idea but it didn’t pay off. Wirth Research, the company behind the CFD philosophy, has moved on to other projects and Virgin has reduced its involvement significantly.

The team has started afresh and has hired a large number of people in an effort to catch up with the rest of the pack. They rent wind tunnel time from McLaren and look to be on the right path.

Unfortunately, the new 2012 car suffered from an inability to pass the FIA crash tests, which meant it was unable to take part in the pre-season test sessions. This lack of running will inevitably damage the team’s ability to be competitive in the first few races, and qualification in Australia looks to be a challenge.

Timo Glock is with the team for a third year and one has to wonder why. A driver who showed some promise with Toyota has been unable to do anything with the two cars the team has given him so far. Perhaps the German likes the thrill of being in Formula 1, but it’s telling that nobody talks about him in the way they discuss Heikki Kovalainen's performances at Caterham.

Whether Glock will hang around for a fourth year remains to be seen, but the chances of him moving to a better team further up the grid don’t look good.

Charles Pic is the third talented driver to fill the second Marussia seat. In 2010 it was Lucas di Grassi and last year it was Jerome d’Ambrosio. Both were unceremoniously dumped at the end of the year and one has to question Pic’s decision to join Marussia. He may already be regretting it when he considers that heading to Melbourne, he hasn’t even tested the car.