We’re sad to report that Marussia driver Jules Bianchi is in hospital with severe head injuries following yesterday’s rain-affected 2014 Formula One Japanese Grand Prix. The Frenchman was involved in an accident with a tractor that was being used to remove the Sauber of Adrian Sutil who had crashed a lap earlier.

The race was brought to a premature end following Bianchi’s accident, with Mercedes AMG’s Lewis Hamilton declared the winner. Second place went to Hamilton’s teammate Nico Rosberg, 9.1 seconds behind, and third to Infiniti Red Bull Racing’s Sebastian Vettel, who finished 29.1 seconds behind the leader. The weekend also saw Vettel announce plans to quit Red Bull after the 2014 season, with the German expected to head to Ferrari in 2015.

But the fate of Bianchi, 25, is overshadowing everything else right now. On lap 42, Sutil lost control of his car, spun and eventually hit the tire barrier near Turn 7 of the Suzuka Circuit. The marshals displayed double waved yellow flags before the corner to warn drivers of the incident. A tractor was dispatched in order to lift the car and take it to a place of safety behind the guardrail. While this was being done, Bianchi lost control of his own car, traveled across the run-off area and hit the back of the tractor.

He was rushed to the circuit medical center before being moved to Mie General Hospital where he underwent surgery for his injuries. Further updates on his condition are yet to be released.

''I aquaplaned,'' Sutil told media. ''The rain got more and more. One lap later with waved yellow flags, Jules came around and had the same spin there and that was it. It was the same crash but the outcome was different. The car came out to rescue my car and it all happened.''

2014 Formula One Japanese Grand Prix

2014 Formula One Japanese Grand Prix

Due to heavy showers, yesterday’s race began behind the safety car. The race was then suspended at the end of lap two, resuming again at the 15:25 mark, and still behind the safety car. The safety car eventually pitted at the end of lap 9, with the race running uninterrupted until Sutil’s accident on lap 42.

Fortunately, there were few other incidents. The only other driver not to finish was Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, who was forced to retire due to electronic issues on lap 2. And with his teammate Kimi Räikkönen finishing 12th, it meant Ferrari failed to finish in the points for the first time in 82 races.

Going into next weekend’s inaugural Russian Grand Prix at Sochi, Lewis Hamilton leads the 2014 Drivers’ Championship with 266 points, with Nico Rosberg second with 256 points and Daniel Ricciardo third with 193 points. In the Constructors’ Championship, Mercedes AMG has 522 points versus the 332 of Infiniti Red Bull Racing and 201 of Williams.

Below are top ten results of the 2014 Formula One Japanese Grand Prix:

1) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG
2) Nico Rosberg, Mercedes AMG
3) Sebastian Vettel, Infiniti Red Bull Racing
4) Daniel Ricciardo, Infiniti Red Bull Racing
5) Jenson Button, McLaren
6) Valtteri Bottas, Williams
7) Felipe Massa, Williams
8) Nico Hulkenberg, Force India
9) Jean-Eric Vergne, Toro Rosso
10) Sergio Perez, Force India

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