by Our Sports Desk

Marussia sporting director Graeme Lowdon said yesterday that the past week has been “incredibly difficult” for his team in the wake of Jules Bianchi’s life-threatening accident.

Lowdon spoke out for the first time since Bianchi crashed into a recovery vehicle in last Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix, sustaining severe injuries to his brain which required immediate surgery.

Bianchi remains in a critical condition at the Mie General Medical Centre in Yokkaichi where parents Philippe and Christine, along with Marussia team principal John Booth, are maintaining a bedside vigil.

As a mark of respect to Bianchi’s family, with brother Tom and sister Melanie also in Japan, Marussia have retired the 25-year-old’s car from this weekend’s inaugural Russian Grand Prix.

Despite placing reserve Alexander Rossi on standby to deputise on Thursday, Marussia said their decision was “the appropriate course of action under the difficult circumstances of the weekend.”

Reflecting on the tumult of recent days, Lowdon said: “It’s been an incredibly difficult week for Formula One but also an incredibly difficult week for our team.

“Jules had a terrible accident at Suzuka, he’s in hospital there and he’s in a critical condition.

“Everybody in the team, and I know much wider than that, are with Jules at this moment, and also with his family.

“So it has been a really difficult time for the team, but I have to say we have been helped enormously by the Formula One family.

“It would have been really difficult for us to get through this week without the help of some very key people.

“I’d like to thank (Ferrari team principal) Marco Mattiacci for his support and kindness, not just in his role at Ferrari, but personally as well.

“He was at the hospital immediately afterwards and provided an awful lot of comfort to the people there.”