Remembering Jules Bianchi on the 75th Anniversary of F1

Jules Lucien Andre Bianchi or simply known as Jules Bianchi was a French F1 driver who competed in the tournament for Marussia. The charismatic driver had strong ties to the racing world being the grandson of former racing driver Mauro Bianchi, second cousin of the former F1 driver Lucien Bianchi, and the godfather of the talented F1 driver, Charles Leclerc.  Jules began his racing career at a young age, starting his journey from karting and then moving up to single-seater racing classes. His talents were soon noticed by the Ferrari Driver Academy program which asked him to join their junior team in 2010. Bianchi’s shinning career came to an abrupt halt when the F1 driver suffered serious head injuries at the Japanese Grand Prix of 2014. 9 months after the accident, Jules Bianchi was pronounced dead, however after all these years the young driver’s legacy lives on. 
Jules Bianchi Early Career 

In the year 2007, the young driver made his debut in French Formula Renault 2.0. Due to his tenacious spirit, and talent, Bianchi quickly made his way up the ranks, securing his first victory in 2008 and moving to the Formula 3 Euroseries in 2009, where he drove for the ART Grand Prix team and finished third, earning Masters of Formula 3 race at Zandvoort. Bianchi made a switch to the GP2 Series in 2010 and scored a win in GP2 at Silverstone in 2011. That season, Jules Bianchi finished third in the championship and continued racing in GP2 till the year 2012. After 2012 the driver was given the position of test driver with Force India’s F1 team. 2013 was the year when Bianchi made his Formula 1 debut, racing for the Marussia F1 Team. During the F1 2024 season, Bianchi’s talent blossomed, unfortunately, that was also the year when his career came to an abrupt end. 
F1 2014 Japanese Grand Prix
The day of the F1 2014 Japanese Grand Prix was a gloomy one, like nature was also mourning the impending loss of a young life. Due to the heavy rain that day, the race started behind a safety car. In the middle of the race, F1 driver Adrian Sutil lost his car at the Turn7 of the circuit, which resulted in a double yellow flag. As a crane was trying to hoist Sutil’s car away, Bianchi lost control of his challenger slid off the track, and collided with the crane. The race came to an abrupt stop as an unconscious Bianchi was taken to the hospital. October 5th, 2014, was the last day when the world saw the charismatic smile of the young driver. After that day Bianchi went into a coma and didn’t regain consciousness. He suffered severe head injury as a result of the accident and after nine months the F1 driver succumbed to his injuries and passed away. Onlookers watching the race in person or Japanese Grand Prix live stream at home were left grampling for reality. After the death of acclaimed F1 driver Ayrton Senna in 1994, Bianchi was the first driver to pass away due to a crash during An F1 race. To show respect and honor the death of this young soul, the management of Formula One decommissioned his starting number, 17. Annually, at every Japanese Grand Prix, the F1 commemorates Jules Bianchi’s death. 
Impact of Jules Bianchi’s Death on Sport Safety 
Jules Bianchi’s death was a slap in the face of safety and proved that even 20 years after the last fatal crash at F1, the sport was not safe enough to prevent the death of Bianchi in 2014. Bianchi’s death set into action a series of safety measure implementations that included rules regarding yellow flags, helmets, safety cars, and more. The death of the young driver also led to the introduction of the virtual safety car, and the deigning of the halo.
Jule’s death left a profound impact on Formula One and its community. The young driver’s legacy was honored with numerous tributes including the establishment of an organization dedicated to improving safety in motor racing, the Jules Bianchi Society. In the year 2015, at the Autosport Awards, Jules was named as the most talented driver of the year and Charles Leclerc, an F1 driver and the godson of Bianchi continues to honor and remember the fallen driver.