F1 Driver Jules Bianchi Was Seriously Injured In A Race This Weekend As A Typhoon Hit Japan

Formula One driver Jules Bianchi sustained a serious head injury and had to be rushed to emergency surgery this weekend when he crashed at the Japan Grand Prix.

Bianchi, a Frenchman who drives for the Marussia team, was racing in the rain as a typhoon bore down on Japan. Race organizers had decided not to start the race earlier to avoid a build-up of water on the track. The decision became controversial after another driver crashed a lap prior to Bianchi, at the same point on the race course.

According to Reuters: "Brazilian driver Felipe Massa...said he was 'screaming for the race to stop' when the rain returned towards the end...'I was screaming on the radio five laps before the Safety Car that there was too much water on the track,' said [Massa], who went to the Mie General Hospital to see Bianchi. 'It was dangerous.'"

The race was at one point stopped due to weather, but later resumed.

The 25-year-old Bianchi was unconscious when he was taken to the hospital, reported the BBC.

Formula One races can be run in rain. Teams change tires and car set-ups to accommodate for less-than-ideal conditions.

Ayrton Senna was the last Formula One driver to die in competition, in 1994. Recently, 7-time world champion driver Michael Schumacher sustained a severe head injury while skiing.