Formula 1 driver suffers severe head injury in Grand Prix crash

Formula 1 driver Jules Bianchi has been hospitalised and is undergoing surgery after sustaining a “severe head injury” in a crash at the Japanese Grand Prix.

The 25-year-old sportsman will be moved to intensive care where he will be monitored following the surgery, the FIA said.

The Frenchman spun off the track on lap 43 of the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka.

He collided with a recovery vehicle that was attending another accident involving Adrian Sutil. The race was then red flagged and the race was halted nine laps before its scheduled finish.

Bianchi was taken, unconscious, to Suzuka's medical centre by road in an ambulance several miles away because the medical could not fly due to bad weather from Typhoon Phanfone.

A statement from the FIA said: "The CT scan shows that he has suffered a severe head injury and is currently undergoing surgery. Following this, he will be moved to intensive care where he will be monitored. Mie General Hospital will issue an update as soon as further information becomes available."

Bianci’s father said his son was in a “serious” condition, while unconfirmed reports from Italian sources said Bianci was in a coma but able to breathe.

Williams driver Felipe Massa criticised race organisers, saying he was screaming on the radio five laps before the safety car was deployed because there was too much water on the track.

Massa also said the race was started too early because it was not driveable and that they finished the race too late.

The crash overshadowed Lewis Hamilton’s win at a rain-soaked Suzuka.  Hamilton’s team mate Nico Rosberg finished second, while Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel completed the standings.