Remembering Jules Bianchi

The worst weekend in Formula 1 history will always be the weekend of the Grand Prix at Imola in 1994. The weekend nearly saw the end of Rubens Barrichello's career after a terribly accident. The circuit did claim the lives of Roland Ratzenberger during qualifying and Ayrton Senna during the race. For 21 years, that would stand as the last Formula 1 fatality relate to a racing accident.


On October 5, 2014, as the rains began to pour down during the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, Sauber driver Adrian Sutil crashed out around the Dunlop Curve (Turn 7). The race marshals issued double yellow flags for that portion of the track as workers moved out a heavy crane to lift Sutil's broken car.

As the track workers lifted Sutil's car from the run-off area, Jules Bianchi lost control of his Marussia car and speared directly into the back of the crane. His car essentially sideswiped the crane with enough force to lift the heavy machine off the ground, causing Sutil's car to drop back to the ground. The entire left side of Bianchi's car was demolished, including the roll bar. Bianchi's helmet struck the crane with great force.

He was reported unresponsive by both the team over radio and by track medical workers. Bianchi was treated and ruched to the on-site medical center before being driven to the Mie Prefecture General Medical Center, the nearest hospital to the Suzuka Circuit, which was nearly ten miles away. The rains from Typhoon Phanfone were making it impossible for helicopters to make the trip much faster. Bianchi's condition after the accident was not positive. He was comatose, suffering a diffuse axonal injury.

Bianchi remained in the hospital in Yokkaido for several weeks before being transferred to a hospital closer to his family in Nice, France. Bianchi remained in a coma from October 2014 until July 2015. His father revealed only days before that the family was "less optimistic" about Bianchi's chances for recovery. Only a few days later, after a nearly ten month long fight, Bianchi succumbed to his injuries. He was 25 years old.

Bianchi is the first Formula 1 driver to die of injuries sustained during an in-race accident since Ayrton Senna's death in 1994. Senna's death sparked a revolution in safety measures within the series. Bianchi's injuries have already brought about positive changes in Formula 1. Race times have been pushed forward to avoid dim-light situations like we saw at Suzuka. F1 also instituted the "virtual safety car," allowing the race director to essentially "freeze" the race field in order to account for driver safety during any situation that could potentially prove dangerous for drivers.

 Bianchi started 34 Formula 1 Grands Prix. He drove solely for the Marussia F1 team, though he was a test driver for both Scuderia Ferrari and Sahara Force India. At the Mocao Grand Prix in 2014, Bianchi scored the only points Marussia has scored in Formula 1. While he never got the opportunity to rack up impressive stats in F1, Bianchi showed huge promise. He was a driver on the rise, pegged by many to be a potential future title contender.

Formula 1 has lost one of its best up-and-coming drivers. Bianchi will be remembered by those who got to see him race. He was always in an inferior car, but he wrung every bit of performance he could out of it.

Forza Jules!