Condition unchanged, says Jules Bianchi's father

The father of Jules Bianchi says his condition remains unchanged but that the family continues to hope for his recovery, in an interview with a local newspaper.

Bianchi, 25, still remains in hospital when he suffered severe head injuries when he crashed into a recovery vehicle in wet conditions at last year's Japanese Grand Prix and has remained in hospital in Nice after being transferred from Yokkaichi, seven weeks after the accident.

In an interview with Nice-Matin, Philippe Bianchi spoke of his continued hope for his son, the effect of the accident from six months ago and thanked fans for their support, and also says that progress is understandably slow but that minor signs have given the family hope of improvements during the interview.

"Our universe collapsed on October 5, 2014," he said. "Will he make it? If so, will he be disabled or can he live normally? In short, this type of accident, I think it hits more than actual death. [The] suffering is relentless. A daily torture. We send him our love, that of all the people who send him messages.

"The only thing we can say is that he fights with force, as he has always fought before and after the accident.

"Every day, Jules [is] doing a marathon. From a medical point of view, his condition is stable. [He has] no physical problems. All of his organs are working without assistance. But for now, he remains unconscious, in a coma."

"For this kind of trauma, as we know, evolution is very slow," he said. "Compared to what the Japanese surgeon who immediately operated in Yokkaichi said, this is already day and night [difference].

"There, when I arrived, with Jules' mother, there was no hope. The prognosis was alarming. There was talk of irreversible damage. They told us it would be a year before he was transferred [from Japan], but this was finally done after seven weeks, as he quickly could breathe again on his own."

"Jules is young. He is 25 years old. He is very strong physically as he survived such a shock. I'm very proud of Jules. I always have been. We hope [for] a new development. The next, it would be asking [for him to be out of] the coma. From time to time, at his bedside, we see that things are happening. At times, he is more 'active', he moves more, he squeezes our hand.

"But is it mere reflex reactions or real? [It is] hard to know. The important thing is that he is helped by excellent specialists.

"Those people who think of him, pray for him, it is great motivation. I am sure Jules hears. Today I want to again thank them all. And tell them that we will give news when there will be good or bad [news]."