F1: Bianchi's father staying hopeful amid "daily torture"

Jules Bianchi remains in a coma in a hospital in Nice, France, six months after suffering a severe head injury when his Marussia collided with a crane during the Japanese Grand Prix. Although there has been no significant change in the 25-year-old Frenchman's condition in recent months, his father says he remains hopeful for his son's recovery, while acknowledging that the present situation remains devastating for the family.

"I think that in this type of accident, it shocks more than an actual death. The pain is endless – a daily torture," Philippe Bianchi told French newspaper Nice-Matin. "Every day, Jules is running a marathon. All of his organs are working without assistance. But, for now, he remains unconscious.

"So we hope for a new evolution. The next one would be for him to get out of his coma."

Bianchi was treated by neurosurgeons in Japan for the first seven weeks after his accident before being transferred to a French hospital at the end of November.