Ferrari F1 driver FERNANDO ALONSO "displayed the helmet he will wear" during the Russian Grand Prix, which will feature a "message of support" for Marussia driver JULES BIANCHI, who remains in critical condition after an accident at the Japanese GP. The helmets will feature the phrase, "Tous avec Jules" ("All with Jules") (MARCA, 10/9). ... The 2010 Tour de France champion ANDY SCHLECK announced his retirement from cycling at the age of 29. The son of former rider JOHNY SCHLECK and younger brother of FRANK SCHLECK "cited a knee injury as the deciding factor in his decision." Schleck said, 'I'm obviously disappointed to end my career like this. Cycling has been my life for many years and I will need time to figure out what I'd like to do [next]. I'm excited to find out what lies ahead" (London GUARDIAN, 10/9). ... It “could be weeks before doctors know how badly damaged” Marussia F1 driver JULES BIANCHI’s brain is after his “sickening crash in the Japanese Grand Prix, a specialist warned on Wednesday.” Bianchi was under “constant supervision following the weekend smash, with his worried parents regularly by his bedside.” He underwent emergency brain surgery, with doctors saying he was “critically ill.” He suffered a diffuse axonal injury, which “describes trauma that is spread across the brain, rather than in one place, and is caused by the shockwave from the sudden impact of the crash travelling through the brain.” This causes bruising and kills cells. Experts say “recovery rates from this kind of injury, which is frequently caused by vehicle crashes, are not encouraging” (AFP, 10/8). ... Norwegian cross-country skier PETTER NORTHUG was “sentenced to 50 days in jail for fleeing the scene after crashing his car in a May drunk driving incident.” He will also pay a $29,000 fine and “lost his driver’s permit permanently.” Northug crashed his Audi after “driving straight through a traffic circle in Trondheim in the early morning of May 4.” He fled the scene and was “apprehended by police at his home” (BLOOMBERG, 10/9).
