Formula One 2014

[Lineker]

Former F1 doctor Gary Hartstein has given his thoughts on this morning's press conference:

First off, this press conference was rather more reassuring than what I expected. I’ll admit that I feared an announcement of a second operation for persistently elevated intracranial pressure (ICP), and the fact that that’s not been needed is good.

So what do we know now? We know that besides keeping Michael deeply asleep, they’ve also slightly lowered his body temperature. This is part of the strategy to optimise the brain’s metabolic state. Along with increasing the delivery of “good stuff” to the brain, reducing the temperature reduces the brain’s need for stuff. Therefore the supply:consumption relation is rendered more favorable.

We’ve’ been told that Michael has bilateral lesions. This mean the brain is wounded in both hemispheres. That shouldn’t surprise us. This was a hard hit. What kind of “lesions”? While we haven’t been told exactly, we can assume a mix of three types. First, the hematoma itself. This is a collection of blood that can be evacuated. That’s been done, and Michael will be examined and scanned regularly in order to detect the formation of any new hematomas, or re-accumulation of the original one.

Next are contusions. These are basically black-and-blue marks in the brain. They result from blunt forces, and consist of areas of swelling and blood that’s seeped out of the vessels into the tissues – just like when you hit your arm. In the brain, as elsewhere, that blood gets absorbed, and the damage heals. Usually fine, but sometimes leaving small cavities behind.

The third type of lesions are at the microscopic level. They consist of damage to the bundles of “cables” (axons) connecting groups of brain cells. This type of damage isn’t readily visible using standard imaging, but is often associated with “poor neurological outcome”. These lesions aren’t treated specifically; rather, they are managed by classic neuro intensive care principles – maximise brain happiness and avoid brain unhappiness.

Apparently he will be kept in this coma for at least the next 48 hours.

[FLiam]

That makes for better reading to be honest.

Here's hoping he pulls through.

[Lineker]

The hospital are holding another press conference imminently.

[Baddar]

His condition has improved, say BBC news.

[Lineker]

Oi, I'll say when we say that!

By the way, I apologise for our crap translator.

[Lineker]

Lotus are missing the first test. I worry for them.

[Lineker]

Schumacher prosecutors are holding a presser right now in Albertville.

[Lineker]

Investigators looking into former Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher's skiing accident are confident that speed was not a key contributor.

Evidence examined has included a helmet camera that Schumacher was wearing when he hit a rock on December 29.

Although the investigators are not in a position to state exactly how quick Schumacher was going when he fell, the prosecutor at Albertville said at a packed press conference on Wednesday that police were not focusing on speed as a major factor in the crash.

Patrick Quincy said: "We are going to study the film with the best qualified people and with experts.

"If necessary we will be able to say what the speed was - but speed is not a particularly important aspect for us, nor [will it be] important for decisions we will likely take at the end of the inquiry."

One of the investigators assigned to the matter, Stephane Bozon, said that a more detailed investigation of the helmet video would be required.

"Looking at the evidence he was a very good skier," he said. "He did go off piste, and when he went off piste he didn't look at reducing his speed.

"But we cannot really tell his speed yet. However, it is a speed of a very good skier on a fairly hard terrain and he was cornering to reduce his speed a little bit."

Quincy said that as well as looking at the Schumacher video, police had spoken to witnesses - including several members of the former F1 driver's family - and had also reconstructed the accident.

He also dismissed media reports that the Schumacher crash had been caught in the background of a video of someone else.

"I heard people talk about a film that was taken by a witness, but we have not received anything from this person," he said. "Personally, I doubt that really it exists."

Quincy revealed that Schumacher had only strayed a few metres off piste during his descent of the mountain.

"He reached an intersection between a red and a blue run," explained Quincy. "He followed the red piste and he went off piste.

"He is evidently a very good skier but one of his skis hit a rock that was sticking out of the piste.

"The rock that he hit was eight metres from the piste. His positioning after he fell was nine metres away from the piste."

Bozon added that there was no evidence Schumacher's skis had failed or caused the crash.

"The skis were in perfect condition. They weren't the cause of the accident - however there is a scratch underneath the skis that proves that he did indeed hit a rock."

Quincy doubted Schumacher had strayed into an off piste zone because of poor markings.

"The piste was very well marked so that every skier can tell where the slope actually ends," he said.

"It is very well marked where the slope ends to prevent skier going into a dangerous zone."

Schumacher remains in an induced coma in hospital in Grenoble.

[Lineker]

Former Formula 1 driver Eddie Irvine has been sentenced to six months in prison over a brawl in a night club in Italy.

The Irishman, who raced in F1 from 1993 to 2002, was found guilty of injuring the son of a former Milan mayor in the Hollywood club in Milan in 2008.

Gabriele Moratti, the other man involved in the brawl, was also sentenced as both him and Irvine had accused each other of using a glass during their fight.

The sentences, however, are likely to be suspended and neither are expected to go to jail.

Irvine won four grands prix during his F1 career, finishing second to McLaren's Mika Hakkinen in the 1999 season, when the now 48-year-old was racing for Ferrari.

[MJB]

Irvine is such a cock.

[Lineker]

Jean-Eric Vergne has confirmed that former Williams chief race engineer Xevi Pujolar will look after him at Toro Rosso this year. Pujolar switched from Williams to Toro Rosso over the winter, leaving the way open for Ferrari's Rob Smedley to make the move across to the Grove-based outfit.

[EddieG]

http://www.fia.com/2014-fia-f1-world-championship-entry-list

[Chris2K]

Maldonado picking 13 is superbly hilarious.

Given his love of ice creams Raikkonen should have gone with 99.

[MJB]

So Rosberg chose the number his Dad had when he won the WDC in 1982. Button chose #22, the number he won his title with. Hulkenberg has the iconic #27 while Alonso and Hamilton chose their karting numbers.

[Lineker]

Vettel will be #5 when he is not the champion.

Also worth noting that Chilton is listed as Marussia's second driver, so I guess that is now all but confirmed by the team.

[Chris2K]

Poor Jules Bianchi wanted 7, 27 and 77. All three had already gone, so he ended up getting a fourth choice and went with 17.

[MJB]

Classic Kimi. The story behind his #7 pick? "It's the number I already had last year and I saw no reason to change it."

[Lineker]

Marussia have confirmed that they have retained Max.

And here's a list of why the drivers chose the numbers which they did.

[MJB]

John Button has died of a heart attack, aged 70.

[Adam]

That sucks, I used to enjoy seeing him rooting for his son in the paddock on a regular basis in past years.