F1 withholding video 'to protect Bianchi'

Copyright? Controversial circumstances?

So far, despite widespread reports that the sport's commercial rights holder FOM did film the incident with its high definition trackside cameras, the footage has not been released.

Even the now widely-circulated amateur footage of the crash has been repeatedly removed from social media sites at the request of FOM, ostensibly for reasons of copyright.

But it has also been suggested that F1 and the governing FIA are reluctant for the official footage to be seen because it might implicate the sport's authorities amid the controversial circumstances surrounding Bianchi's crash.

Questions are being asked about the rain conditions, the fading light, the pre-race discussions about re-scheduling to avoid typhoon Phanfone, the waving of green flags near the crash site, and whether Charlie Whiting should have deployed the safety car when Adrian Sutil's incident brought out the recovery vehicle.

Protecting Bianchi and his family

But Michael Schmidt, the highly respected correspondent for Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, claims the reason the FOM footage is not being released is for one reason only: "Consideration for the victims of the accident."

Schmidt is referring not only to the seriously injured French driver, but particularly his parents and family as they cling to hope Bianchi, 25, will pull through.

Schmidt claims the official footage shows that the Marussia driver lost control of his car after "driving too fast under yellow flags".

"F1 is not protecting itself, but Jules Bianchi himself. The footage of the accident and the telemetry data may prove that it was the driver to blame," he added.

Schmidt quoted an F1 official as saying: "It (releasing the information) would be unfair to Bianchi, because he cannot defend himself at the moment."