Hungaroring, July 31st - Jules Bianchi, the talented young GP2 Series driver of the Ferrari Driving Academy, will be out of action for quite a long time following his accident on the Hungaroring circuit at the start of the first race of the seventh round of the championship. The Art Grand Prix driver fractured his second lumbar vertebra and is now recovering at Budapest’s AEK Hospital.

The French driver, who never lost consciousness after the heavy impact of the accident that happened during the early stages of the race, will not be back in the cockpit until he has fully completed his rehabilitation program.

Hungaroring, 31 July – Jules Bianchi’s race was all over on the opening lap in Budapest, in the seventh round of the GP2 series, running alongside the twelfth round of the Formula 1 World Championship. The race needed no less than three starts to get going and was won by Pastor Maldonado (Rapax,) followed home by Christian Vietoris (Racing Engineering) and Sergio Perez (Barwa Addax Team).

The French Art Grand Prix driver was involved in an accident shortly after the start, sustaining a heavy frontal impact when hit by the Chinese driver, Ho-Pin Tung, who had lost control of his car coming out of a corner. Bianchi is in hospital having a check over, so his participation in tomorrow’s second race is in doubt. In the GP3 series, another youngster from the Ferrari Driver Academy took to the Magyar track today for his first race on this busy weekend.

Driving one of three cars entered by the Addax Team, Italy’s Mirko Bortolotti finished eleventh, hampered in the final stages with some technical problems. The finishing order mirrored the starting grid, with Nico Muller (Jenzer Motorsport) winning from Esteban Gutierrez (Art Grand Prix and Stefano Coletti (Tech 1 Racing.) Both junior series have their second races tomorrow, starting at 9.25.