Formula 1 driver Bianchi dies

Formula 1 driver Jules Bianchi has died, nine months after a crash at the Japanese Grand Prix in which the Frenchman suffered severe head injuries.

The 25 year Marussia driver has been in a coma since the incident in which he crashed into a recovery vehicle after Adrian Sutil crashed on the previous lap.

His family said: “Jules fought right to the very end, as he always did, but today his battle came to an end.

“We thank Jules’s colleagues, friends, fans and everyone who has demonstrated their affection for him over these past months, which gave us great strength and helped us deal with such difficult times.

“Listening to and reading the many messages made us realise just how much Jules had touched the hearts and minds of so many people all over the world.”

Marussia too have announced of their devastation over the incident. 

The Manor team tweeted: “We are devastated to lose Jules after such a hard-fought battle. It was a privilege to have him race for our team.”

Bianchi is the first driver in the sport to die from injuries since Brazilian triple world champion Ayrton Senna was killed at the Imola circuit in Italy in 1994.

The 25 year old made his Formula 1 debut with Marussia in 2013, having previously worked as a test driver for Ferrari’s young driver academy.

The incident happened when Bianchi’s car slid off the track in wet conditions at the Suzuka circuit, crashing into a crane which was picking up German driver Adrian Sutil, who had crashed in the previous lap.

The FIA, who have been investigating the incident, found that Bianchi “applied both throttle and brake together, using both feet”, which override the fail-safe mechanism. His front wheels had also locked.

It is no surprise that the world of motorsport, and sport in general, having taking the time to send their condolences.

“No words can describe what his family & the sport have lost. All I can say it was a pleasure knowing & racing you,” tweeted British driver Max Chilton, who was Bianchi’s team-mate last year.