It is a sad day for Formula 1 as Jules Bianchi has lost the battle for his life at the young age of 25. Born in a family of racing heritage, his grandfather Mauro Bianchi is three-time GT champion, and his grand-uncle participated in a number of Grand Prix.
After racing in the Formula Renault and Formula 3 since 2007, the Frenchman Jules Bianchi was picked up by Ferrari Driver Academy, where he worked as a test driver and his development continued. Later on, he was loaned out to Force India also as their test driver.
In 2013, Bianchi became Marussia F1’s race driver. He qualified for Australian Grand Prix ahead of his teammate Max Chilton, and he was 15th on his debut. He qualified ahead of his teammate all season, and the next season Bianchi was able to win the first ever World Championship points for him and his team at the Monaco Grand Prix. Bianchi only retired five times during that season, of which three were due to mechanical failures. Marussia were beginning to announce to their arrival in the World Championships, and Jules Bianchi was the frontrunner of their dreams.
However, fate had other plans.
At the 2015 Japanese Grand Prix, Bianchi suffered a terrible crash at the “Turn 7” when he lost control of his car, skidding into the run-off area and colliding with a tractor crane that was picking up Adrian Sutil’s car. The race was red-flagged and Bianchi was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. The crash resulted in diffuse axonal injury, which is caused by a severe blow to the head, resulting in the movement of the brain inside the skull leading to dead brain cells and swelling in the brain. His family and friends, the Marussia team and even Scuderia Ferrari rushed to his aid. Specialists from Italy were flown into Japan at the request of Ferrari, but it was all in vain. The accident raised a few questions against the FIA, F1’s governing body. The weather was already pretty bad during the time due to the oncoming Typhoon Phanfone, and Adrian Sutil’s Sauber crashed into the exact same spot in a very similar manner. A helicopter could not transport Bianchi because the weather was not suitable for flying. This prompted the question of whether the race should have been red-flagged earlier due to the conditions.
The FIA findings concluded that it was a set of unfortunate events that led to the terrible accident. Bianchi evidently slowed his car before the turn as per the rule of the double yellow flag; however, it was not enough to prevent the collision. In Bianchi’s defense, there are no specifics mentioned of how much the car has to be slowed down. Furthermore, the safety car was not deployed because it has become a norm not to do so in these situations. Although it was found that brake-by-wire system failed to override the throttle when Bianchi pressed the accelerator and the brake together, it was concluded that it wouldn’t have made a drastic difference in the case of a 700-kilo car colliding with a 6500-kilo crane. Nevertheless, the FIA is working on enforcing specific boundaries and parameters for the future.
On 17th July, Jules Bianchi surrendered to his 7-month long battle since the accident. He became the first F1 driver to die due to injuries occurred in the race since Ayrton Senna. The world of F1 paid their tributes including McLaren driver Jenson Button posting on Twitter “Last night we lost a truly great guy and a real figher. RIP Jules, my sincerest condolences to his family and friends.” Romain Grosjean of Lotus said, “Yesterday we lost one of the best guys and best driver I’ve ever met. I’ll miss you so much my friend.”
It is cruel how the sport we love can inflict so much pain. The question of what could have been will always be asked, but Marussia F1, his family, and F1 fans alike, will remember Jules Bianchi for his immense fighting spirit.
