Formula 1's Latest Rumours and Talk: Jules Bianchi Update, Jenson Button, More
It has been more than nine months since Jules Bianchi suffered life-threatening injuries in a crash at the Japanese Grand Prix, shaking Formula One to the core.
It has always been hoped the 25-year-old would make a full recovery, but the Frenchman's father has revealed the true severity of the situation, and its stress on Bianchi's loved ones, explaining how those closest to Bianchi are beginning to lose hope.
Meanwhile, Jenson Button has been reluctant to discuss his F1 future, claiming it would be foolish to prioritise his stay in the sport at a time when his McLaren-Honda team are plagued by bigger, fundamental problems regarding their troublesome power unit and general lack of competitiveness in 2015.
Williams, in contrast, have become increasingly competitive as the season has progressed, with the team even challenging the mighty Mercedes outfit for victory at the British Grand Prix.
Having secured a podium finish in two of the last three races, the Grove-based outfit are planning to challenge Ferrari for second place in the constructors' championship.
Also with big plans for the second half of the season are Sauber. The Swiss team have fallen down the pecking order since the start of 2015, but a number of upgrades to the chassis and engine are set to let Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr finish with a flourish.
Closing this week's roundup is Fernando Alonso, who has been sharpening his skills ahead of the Hungarian GP by karting.
Jules Bianchi's Family Losing Hope
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The father of Jules Bianchi has admitted he is increasingly pessimistic about his son's chances of recovering from the injuries he suffered in a crash during last season's Japanese Grand Prix.
It is over nine months since Bianchi's Marussia car left the track in wet conditions at Suzuka's Dunlop Curve, colliding with a recovery vehicle.
The Frenchman has been in a coma since, with Philippe Bianchi telling Canal Plus (h/t the Associated Press via the Guardian) in May how he was "hoping for a miracle" but admitting he had to contemplate his son's death.
According to Motorsport.com's Benjamin Vinel, the recovery from an accident such as Jules'—who began rehabilitation therapy in December 2014, shortly after coming out of an artificial coma, per BBC Sport—"normally requires significant improvement within the first six months."
And while Phillipe, according to Vinel, says his son "has been able to grasp the hand of people standing next to him," he has admitted he is losing hope over the chances of a full recovery, telling France Info (h/t Motorsport.com):
"It's unbearable, it's a daily torture. We sometimes feel like we're going crazy, because for me, it certainly is more terrible than if he had died.
For we're not able to help him more than we can...
Time goes by and I am now less optimistic than I may have been two or three months after the crash, when we could hope for a better evolution.
At some point, you need to be well-grounded and realise how serious the situation is.
"
Phillipe, per the same source, also recalled a conversation with his son in which Jules explained how he, in the event of a serious crash, would not want to live with "huge disabilities."
He referred to the situation of Michael Schumacher, the seven-times world champion, whose current condition remains a mystery following a life-threatening skiing accident in December 2013.
Jenson Button Not Thinking About McLaren Future
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Jenson Button has refused to discuss his future at McLaren, claiming it would be unwise to think too far ahead.
The 2009 world champion won a fight for his future toward the end of last season, earning a contract extension with the team to partner fellow title winner Fernando Alonso and spearhead the team's renewed technical partnership with Honda.
According to BBC Sport's Andrew Benson, however, the two-year deal Button signed to remain at the team only guaranteed a seat for the 2015 season, with McLaren having an option to retain the 35-year-old for 2016.
Despite McLaren boss Ron Dennis telling Sky Sports' Pete Gill that Button will remain at the Woking outfit for next season, explaining how the team—who have scored just five points in the opening nine races this season—are "not even thinking" about their driver lineup, there is a possibility this year could be Button's last in F1.
McLaren-affiliated drivers Kevin Magnussen, who was ultimately replaced by Alonso for 2015, and Stoffel Vandoorne, the runaway leader of the GP2 championship, are the leading contenders to replace Button, but the 15-times grand prix victor is reluctant to think about his F1 future at the moment.
He told Autosport's Lawrence Barretto:
"I don't think either Fernando or myself are thinking about the future just now.
We're thinking about now and how to improve things.
I'm not thinking that in three years' time we're going to win the title because I don't know what is going to happen.
It is wrong to think so far ahead. You have to think in the moment and to change things, we need to keep our head down and not look too far forward.
"
McLaren have made changes to driver lineup in each season since 2012, with that instability almost certainly linked to the team's ongoing lack of competitiveness.
Williams Hoping to Beat Ferrari to 2nd Place in Championship
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Following their strongest performances of the season, Williams are confident of pipping Ferrari to second place in the 2015 constructors' championship.
The Grove-based team have reached the podium in two of the last three races, with Valtteri Bottas claiming third in Canada and Felipe Massa matching his team-mate's result in Austria.
Massa and Bottas even led the early stages of the British Grand Prix and appeared in contention to win the race, but strategic errors and the intervention of rain ultimately saw the pair finish fourth and fifth, respectively.
Despite that missed opportunity, Williams' upturn in form since May's Monaco Grand Prix—where Bottas and Massa were anonymous, finishing outside the points on a circuit unsuited to their Williams' characteristics—have left the team convinced that they can catch Ferrari in the second half of the season.
Rob Smedley, Williams' head of vehicle performance and a former Ferrari employee, told Autosport's Lawrence Barretto:
"We are constantly bringing new bits to every grand prix in all areas of the car.
The team is developing the car in small incremental steps and there is more to come.
We are trying more and more to put ourselves into a more favourable position as we want to try and get second position in the championship—that is our target now.
"
After nine races, Williams are 48 points better off than they were at the same stage last season, when they finished third behind world champions Mercedes and Red Bull Racing. However, overturning Ferrari's current 60-point advantage will be a difficult task.
Ferrari have been the closest challengers to Mercedes for much of this season, claiming a surprise victory in Malaysia with Sebastian Vettel, who has five further podium finishes to his name this season.
Massa told Motorsport.com's Jonathan Noble how he expected Williams to produce their best displays of 2015 at high-speed venues in Canada, Austria and Britain.
And while Smedley told Barretto the team are "looking at all sorts of ways" to improve their performance on slow-speed circuits, on which they have struggled since the beginning of 2014, it is unlikely any developments will see Williams topple Ferrari over the remaining 10 races.
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Sauber Planning Major Upgrade for Singapore Grand Prix
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Since securing a fifth-place finish in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Sauber have tumbled down the pecking order.
The Swiss team have slipped to seventh in the constructors' standings after scoring just two points in the last six races, with Felipe Nasr failing to even start the recent British GP after suffering a technical problem on the reconnaissance lap.
Sauber, however, are preparing to reverse their fortunes by introducing a significant upgrade to their C34 car in time for September's Singapore Grand Prix.
According to Motorsport.com's Jonathan Noble, the team are set to receive an updated Ferrari power unit at August's Belgian GP, which should benefit Sauber at high-speed circuits such as Spa-Francorchamps and Monza.
And despite being among the smallest teams on the grid, Sauber, who failed to score a single point in 2014, are hoping to combine the engine boost with chassis-related developments, with team boss Monisha Kaltenborn telling the same source:
"We have a far more competitive package compared to last year. A lot has to do with the chassis and the power train, where our engine supplier has made a big step compared to last year.
Keeping up development pace is not going to be easy, but we are introducing around Singapore a bigger upgrade.
And before that will come an upgrade on the engine side too, so I am confident we can do something this season.
"
Sauber currently sit eight points behind Lotus in the championship, with fifth-place Force India a further 10 points ahead of the Hinwil-based outfit.
Fernando Alonso Secures 1st Podium Finish of 2015
5 of 5Fresh from scoring his first point of the season, Fernando Alonso returned to the podium for the first time in almost 12 months.
But rather than finishing in the top three at one of the world's premier motor-racing venues, such as Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps or Monza, Alonso rediscovered the winning feeling at a karting track in Surrey, England.
According to the circuit's official website, the two-time world champion organised a race with "some friends and colleagues" at Daytona Sandown Park, where the 33-year-old proved he's still got it.
A video produced by Daytona Motorsport's official YouTube channel, above, showed Alonso charge from the rear of the field to first place in little more than two laps, with his fastest lap good enough for third on the circuit's "Superstars Board."
According to the track's website, the McLaren-Honda driver's quickest time of 45.627 seconds was faster than those set by Hollywood stars Guy Ritchie, Hugh Grant and Brad Pitt, as well as fellow racing drivers Tom Kristensen, the nine-times Le Mans winner, Formula E's Sam Bird and former Toyota and Marussia man Timo Glock.
Daytona Motorsport director Jim Graham was full of praise for Alonso's performance, telling the Surrey Comet's Ellie Cambridge:
"He told us he wanted to get himself onto our Superstars board after seeing it on Monday, and his best lap was a highly respectable effort, especially bearing in mind that the track was not at its grippiest at the time.
To be pretty much immediately within half-a-second of local expert Sam Bird—who grew up driving go-karts around Sandown—was impressive stuff, and he was chuffed to bits to finish on the podium.
"
Alonso's extra practice will come in handy ahead of this month's Hungarian Grand Prix, at which McLaren should be able to add to their points tally.
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