Late last night, the tragic news came through that Jules Bianchi, whose promising Formula 1 career was just beginning to take off, had passed away aged just 25. He had been in a coma since his car slid underneath a tractor crane in Suzuka in 2014 and was diagnosed with a diffuse axonal injury — known in layman’s terms as a brain injury. He was moved from hospital in Japan to France in November of that year, and remained there up until his death last night.
Bianchi was making a name for himself in Motorsport from the age of 18, winning the French Formula Renault title in 2007. Over the next few years, he advanced from Formula Renault, to Formula 3 and Formula Renault 3.5 in 2009. In that year, as well as winning the Italian Formula Three Championship, he began doing some test-driving for Ferrari and was made their reserve driver for the 2011 season.
In his time doing tests, he starred in the GP2 series, coming second to team-mate Esteban Gutierrez in the drivers’ championship in 2011. In 2012, he was loaned to Force India by Ferrari, for whom he drove in nine practice sessions. The season after, he began his full Formula 1 career.
Bianchi replaced Luiz Razia as a race driver for Marussia for the 2013 season, partnering Briton Max Chilton. He consistently outperformed his team-mate, beating him in qualifying in every race from the start of the season up until the Hungarian Grand Prix. His best result was an impressive 13th at the Malaysia Grand Prix, and he finished the season 19th out of 23 in the drivers’ championship ahead of his team-mate and all three of the men who drove for Caterham that season.
In 2014, he stayed on for another season and proved himself to be a great talent and easily Marussia’s first driver. Of the nine races he completed, he beat Chilton in all bar one and produced the greatest moment of his career at Monaco. Marussia were hardly the strongest team on the grid, and had largely not got close to scoring points in their existence. But at the Monaco Grand Prix, perhaps the most famous race on the calendar, Jules finished ninth to pick up two points. It was an incredible achievement and testament to his obvious talent, and his infectious smile was at its most vibrant in the celebrations afterwards.
However, on 5th October, Bianchi drove his last race. His crash at Suzuka is one of the saddest things to happen in Formula 1 ever, and he is the first F1 driver to have died due to a racing accident since Ayrton Senna in 1994. The grid will never be the same without his talent, but more importantly his character.
It is no exaggeration to say that Jules Bianchi was an incredibly popular personality in F1. His smile, love of life and general relaxed and well-meaning demeanour meant that he was universally liked by all involved in the sport. The support shown for him in light of his accident shows how desperate all were for him to recover, and the sadness which has greeted his tragic death will not go away for a long time.
Bianchi could well have gone on to become a great in Formula 1. Certainly, his points at Monaco would not have been his last, and a move to a bigger team — most likely Ferrari — awaited him. It is likely that many race wins were in store for him and perhaps even a World Championship, but now we will never know. However, it is not his achievements for which he shall be remembered, but rather, as with all good men, his personality and identity.
RIP Jules Bianchi.
