Bianchi suffers severe head injuries at Suzuka, requiring surgery

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UPDATE 1810 ET: Contrary to reports circulating, Ferrari has denied that Jules Bianchi is out of surgery and breathing independently following his accident during today’s Japanese Grand Prix that left him with severe head injuries.

In wet conditions at Suzuka, Sauber’s Adrian Sutil spun off with a few laps remaining, prompting a recovery vehicle to come and try to remove the car.

Bianchi (pictured taking part in practice on Friday at Suzuka) spun off at the crash site, hitting the vehicle that was being used to recover Sutil’s car. He did not respond to a radio call from Marussia at the time.

The Frenchman was transported via ambulance while unconscious to the Mie General Hospital where he underwent surgery for a severe head injury, according to the FIA statement at 0720 ET.

[RELATED: Race result secondary to Bianchi’s status, Vettel says]

“The CT scan shows he has suffered a severe head injury and is undergoing surgery,” it read. “Folowing 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.”

It had been reported by a number of outlets including the BBC and Sky that Bianchi was out of surgery at the hospital and was breathing independently. However, Ferrari, his parent team, has denied that this is the case, and has given no further updates on his condition.

The next official word is expected to come from the hospital on Monday, with Bianchi moving into intensive care following surgery where he will be monitored further.

In the immediate aftermath of the incident, FIA media delegate Matteo Bonciani confirmed that Bianchi had been transported to the hospital by ambulance and was unconscious at the time.

“The driver is unconscious. He has been sent to hospital by ambulance because the helicopter cannot go in these conditions. Further updates will follow. For the moment, we cannot say nothing. I will keep you updated as fast as I can.”

Adrian Sutil, who was at the site of the accident, explained his view of the incident to the media following the race.

“The yellow flags were out,” he said. “I aquaplaned on this corner as the rain got more and more, the stability got less and less.

“One lap later, with waved yellow flags, Jules came around and had the same spin there, and that was it. It was more or less the same crash, it’s just the outcome was a bit different. The car came out to rescue my car and then it all happened.”

The Japanese Grand Prix was affected by torrential rain due to the inbound Typhoon Phanfone, which is set to hit the country tomorrow.

After two laps behind the safety car at the start of the race, FIA race control brought out the red flag to suspend all running due to the wet weather.

[RELATED: Hamilton wins shortened Japan Grand Prix]

However, just ten minutes later, the decision was taken to restart behind the safety car as conditions improved, and it soon became dry enough for drivers to race on intermediate tires.

In the final few stages of the race, more rain began to fall, causing on-track grip to deteriorate and prompting many to make the switch to full wet tires once again.

Following the accident at turn eight, the race was red flagged for a second time, with the result being declared soon after. Lewis Hamilton extended his championship lead with his third straight victory ahead of Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel. However, celebrations on the podium were muted as news of Bianchi’s accident spread.

We will bring you all of the updates on Bianchi’s condition as the information reaches us.

Saturday’s Supercross Round 11 in Seattle: How to watch, start times, schedules, streams

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With three multiple winners now vying for the championship, the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series heads to Round 11 at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington.

Chase Sexton earned his second victory of the season in Detroit when Aaron Plessinger fell on the final lap. Though he was penalized seven points for disobeying a flag, Sexton is third in the championship race. The Honda rider trails leader Cooper Webb (two victories) by 17 points, and defending series champion Eli Tomac (five wins) is three points behind Webb in second with seven races remaining.

Tomac won last year in Seattle on the way to his second season title.

Honda riders have a Supercross-leading 20 victories in the Seattle event but none at Lumen Field since Justin Barcia in 2013. Tomac and Barcia are the only past 450 Seattke winners entered in Saturday’s event.

Here are the pertinent details for watching Round 11 of the 2023 Supercross season in Seattle:


(All times are ET)

BROADCAST/STREAMING SCHEDULE: TV coverage of Round 11 will begin Saturday at 10 p.m. ET streaming on Peacock with a re-air Monday at 1 a.m. ET on CNBC. The Race Day Live show (including qualifying) will begin on Peacock at 4:30 p.m. ET Saturday.

NBC Sports will have exclusive live coverage of races, qualifiers and heats for the record 31 events in SuperMotocross. The main events will be presented on Peacock, NBC, USA Network, CNBC, and NBC Sports digital platforms.

Peacock will become the home of the SuperMotocross World Championship series in 2023 with live coverage of all races, qualifying, and heats from January to October. There will be 23 races livestreamed exclusively on Peacock, including a SuperMotocross World Championship Playoff event. The platform also will provide on-demand replays of every race. Click here for the full schedule.

POINTS STANDINGS: 450 division l 250 division

ENTRY LISTS450 division l 250 division

EVENT SCHEDULE (all times ET): 

Here are the start times for Saturday’s Supercross Round 11 in Seattle, according to the Monster Energy Supercross schedule from the AMA:

4:50 p.m.: 250SX Group B Qualifying 1
5:05 p.m.: 250SX Group A Qualifying 1
5:20 p.m.: 450SX Group A Qualifying 1
5:35 p.m.: 450SX Group B Qualifying 1
6:25 p.m.: 250SX Group B Qualifying 2
6:40 p.m.: 250SX Group A Qualifying 2
7:55 p.m.: 450SX Group A Qualifying 2
8:10 p.m.: 450SX Group B Qualifying 2
10:06 p.m.: 250SX Heat 1
10:20 p.m.: 250SX Heat 2
10:34 p.m.: 450SX Heat 1
10:48 p.m.: 450SX Heat 2
11:22 p.m.: 250SX Last Chance Qualifier
11:34 p.m.: 450SX Last Chance Qualifier
11:54 p.m.: 250SX Main Event
12:28 a.m.: 450SX Main Event

TRACK LAYOUTClick here to view the track map

HOW TO WATCH SUPERMOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON IN 2023Full NBC Sports, Peacock schedule

FINAL 2022 STANDINGS: 450 points standings | 250 East points standings250 West points standings


2023 SEASON RECAPS

ROUND 1: Eli Tomac opens title defense with victory

ROUND 2: Tomac ties Ricky Carmichael on Supercross wins list

ROUND 3: Tomac holds off Cooper Webb again

ROUND 4: Chase Sexton wins Anaheim Triple Crown

ROUND 5: Eli Tomac leads wire to wire in Houston

ROUND 6: Cooper Webb breaks through in Tampa

ROUND 7: Webb wins again in Arlington

ROUND 8: Tomac wins Daytona for the seventh time

ROUND 9: Ken Roczen scores first victory since 2022

ROUND 10: Chase Sexton inherits Detroit victory but docked points


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Three talented rookies move up to 450

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