Family gives name of Bianchi head injury (Update)

UPDATE Further research on this injury indicates Bianchi could be a vegetable the rest of his life, which is very sad if that turns out to be the case. Would a canopy have prevented this injury? No way to know for certain without knowing how strong the canopy would have been designed, but rest assured it likely would have been much less severe. The 2nd test in the video below (around the 1m15s mark) shows just how well a jet fighter canopy on an F1 car would perform if a wheel and tire assembly hits it at 225 mph. Bianchi was going much slower than that when he crashed and that canopy is so strong it's likely to have deflected the impact right over Bianchi's head and he would have walked away. Shame on the sport of open wheel racing for not implementing canopies over the cockpits.

10/07/14 (GMM) Jules Bianchi's family on Tuesday revealed the name of the serious head injury he sustained in Sunday's horror Suzuka crash.

The 25-year-old Frenchman had surgery after running off the wet track during the Japanese grand prix and striking a recovery vehicle at reportedly more than 200kph.

A statement issued by Marussia on Tuesday on behalf of Bianchi's family and the Mie hospital said he remains in a "critical but stable condition".

The statement revealed that Bianchi has suffered "a diffuse axonal injury."

Brainandspinalcord.org described the injury, which can be "devastating" and causing lasting unconsciousness, as occurring "over a more widespread area" than specific brain injuries because the brain has moved "within the skull".

This of course does not bode well for Bianchi. Keep him in your prayers.