RIP Jules Bianchi

h3000

It has been confirmed that Jules Bianchi has passed away. Such a sad loss to the sport, a huge talent taken far far too early.

http://m.bbc.com/sport/formula1/33578770?ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbc_breaking&%2338;ns_source=twitter&%2338;ns_linkname=news_central

Gremlinertia

Absolutely terrible.. A great loss, thoughts with those around him. RIP

iDave

Sad to wake up to. RIP.

Didn't think this would ever happen again in F1.

Penny Tration

Saw this on the news this morning.

Poor guy. So bloody young.

zombieHanalei

I was fearful of this day once I read up on the type of injury he suffered after the accident, the odds were sadly always against him. You can never really say what could have been but the fact Ferrari had a stake in him is an indicator of his potential along with the fact he performed respectably in a dog of a car, he certainly proved he deserved to be in F1 relative to his pay driver team mate who he beat at his ease.

A sad day for the sport, cruel to have had it dragged out for so long, I can't imagine what that must have been like for his friends and family. A real shame, seemed like a nice guy too, RIP

Terrontress

How awful. I hope there will be some commemoration in Hungary.

callaway92

Terrible.

Big fan of Bianchi who was a v. talented driver who could've done great with a good car.

RIP

zl1whqvjs75cdy

Horrible news.

Sunny Dayz

Sorry to hear the news this morning. Thoughts and prayers are with his family, partner, friends, team mates and fellow drivers.
Will have to break it to my 10 year old son this morn, he's a huge f1 fan but he's doing his first Parkrun this morn.

EB_2013

Very sad to hear the news this morning.

R.I.P Jules

Joeseph Balls

Terrible sad news.
RIP Jules

ItsChecoTime

Had been hoping for a miracle since the accident and the extent of the injuries became apparent.

Having only been born a year before Ratzenberger and Senna's deaths I had been fortunate enough not to experience a fatality of one of the drivers, who you admire and get to know through the interviews and race weekends. There had been a few close calls, Burti, Massa and Kubica springing to mind.

It almost seems cliché when it is said that someone was destined for great things but coming 9th in Monaco in that Marussia along with numerous other great performances, it was evident that Jules was a huge prospect. Condolences to the family and friends especially, as well as to all followers of the sport.
Rest in peace.

Vegeta

That's the worst news RIP Jules

christy c

RIP Jules

flazio

Repose en paix Jules.

Zcott

Horrible news to hear. F1’s 20 year streak of no fatalities came to an end.

Myrddin

RIP Jules. Very sad to hear, he was without doubt a rising star in F1. Scoring points in Monaco in that car was some achievement. Thoughts are with his family & friends

P_1

Very sad to hear, I guess you can take some solace in knowing that his suffering is at an end.

Autosport

A sad day in F1, he was a talented driver. Thoughts and prayers with his family and friends may he rest in peace xxx

Andrew76

Only just heard, very sad news.
You got the impression he had the talent to make it to the very top too.

HighLine

Very sad news indeed. I see the daily trash thought it a perfect opportunity to put up the video of his crash - typically scummy of them.

Sterling Archer

Such a loss, really didn't think F1 would lose another driver.. Guess I was hoping for a miracle.

RIP

kilburn

RIP Jules
#forzajules

AMKC

Very sad to hear of Jules death. May he rest in peace. I think he had a lot of talent and would have gone far. We will never know now very sad. Him getting 9th last year in Monaco was such a great thing to see and witness. So sad we will not get to see him do more racing like that. Thoughts with his family, friends and all the drivers that knew and raced with him.

frostie500

It's always sad to see anyone die in a race but this morning when I heard the news I had more relief than sadness. It's not easy or fair on the family that they suffer for so long with no real hope of improvement. Jules was a talented driver and in all my dealings with him he was a funny guy that had a genuine love of racing. I always enjoyed chatting to him and the paddock has missed him since suzuka.

Larbre34

The poor lad was gone the day of crash, the interim has just been a harrowing time for his family. Peace to them all now.

Horrible news but in some way it's a kind of release for his family, it must have been an agonising nine months.

In a way it's amazing that we've gone 20 years with no fatalities in an F1 race. Safety has come on leaps and bounds but you can never eliminate the risk in racing.

A shame we'll never get to see what he could have become. RIP.

CaliforniaDream

Genuinely sad at this news. He seemed like a great guy and he had a lot of potential. I, like many, would have loved to see him in a competitive car.
I hope his family can now start to grieve and get some comfort in the fact he's no longer in any pain or discomfort.
RIP to a great talent and genuine decent human being.

Charlie-Bravo

Very sad news. I don't get too choked up about people who are sportspersons or public figures dying, or who I don't know personally, but when it is a life of such a great talent in a sport that I love, it gets to me. Rest in peace Jules. #17

Dempsey

Sad to hear about his death, he had huge potential.

flazio

Flying Fox wrote: »

Horrible news but in some way it's a kind of release for his family, it must have been an agonising nine months.

In a way it's amazing that we've gone 20 years with no fatalities in an F1 race. Safety has come on leaps and bounds but you can never eliminate the risk in racing.

A shame we'll never get to see what he could have become. RIP.

I'll have to correct you on that. We lost marshals in Italy and Australia.

Frank Bullitt

Its been a long time since F1 has had to deal with a death, but this one is no easier to take than ones before.

Jules had massive potential, and I know this can get thrown around when a sportsmen dies so early, but it rings so true for him. He ran as high as 3rd in his last race, and that 9th in Monaco was a real beauty, its the reason that Manor are racing this season.

I feel terribly for his family, team and the other drivers on the grid. But at times like this, it shows how F1 can pull together as a community to support each other, like a big family.

God rest Jules, I'm glad you are at peace now.

veganrun

Very sad news about Jules, was sorry to read that this morning.

I was wondering had something changed as his father released a statement a few days ago and reading between the lines you got the impression they were preparing people for the worst.

R.I.P Jules

PopePalpatine

I was born only a few weeks after the deaths of Ratzenberger and Senna. The idea that someone could die during a Grand Prix weekend during my lifetime seemed increasingly unlikely as I grew up, especially since Kubica and Massa both survived horrific crashes and returned to F1.

On the morning of Jules's crash, I was extremely hungover but woke up to watch the race live regardless. I was bewildered when the race stopped - I had no idea that tragedy had struck. Out of morbid curiosity, a few days later I watched the crash as recorded on a spectator's phone, blissfully unaware - like all of us, whether we watched that crash footage or not - of the extent of Jules's injuries.

RIP Jules.

flazio

flazio wrote: »

I'll have to correct you on that. We lost marshals in Italy and Australia.

And Canada if you want to start that.


Sad news but felt pretty inevitable. Seemed well-thought of among those in the know. Hopefully they learn the lesson about recovery vehicles rather than use this to push some other agenda.

Andrewf20

Very sad news. I witnessed the death of Senna 21 years ago and one thing that stuck with me was something that Murray Walker said at the time - that these things have happened in the past and will happen again. However, a part of me felt that with the safety improvements of f1 cars and race tracks, there might be a slim chance that I wouldn't see another f1 fatality in my life time.

After doing a bit research today I was suprised to learn of so many other fatalies in recent years in Motorsport in general. It is still a very dangerous sport.

Rip. 25 is incredibly young.

antodeco

Very sad to hear. I can only echo what other other people have said,in that I believe the family knew of his inevitably to succumb to his injuries.

Whilst he received premium care, I think ultimately, after a few months, through no signs of improvement, it was never going to be the outcome we all hoped.

The only, albeit small, bit of goodness that can come from this is, is that the saftey measures brought on as a result of his crash, will ultimately save another persons life. I still believe there are some improvements still required in relation to 3rd party track vehicles, and my only hope is that there are greater improvements in the manufacture, positioning and running of these 3rd party vehicles, when they are placed within track limits.

Rest in peace Jules.

Ghost Train

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzkxI_Kyhf4

efb

RIP. A very talented and handsome man.

challengemaster

Jean Todt, President of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) announced that the car number 17 will be retired from the FIA Formula One World Championship in honour of Jules Bianchi.

As F1 car numbers are now personally chosen by each driver, the FIA believes it to be an appropriate gesture to retire Jules Bianchi’s number 17.

As a result, this number can no longer be used for a car competing in the FIA Formula One World Championship.
http://www.fia.com/news/fia-retire-car-number-17-fia-formula-one-world-championship

Jules Bianchi had been singled out as the man Ferrari wanted to eventually replace Kimi Raikkonen, its former chairman Luca di Montezemolo has revealed.

http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/ferrari-had-chosen-bianchi-to-replace-raikkonen-montezemolo

Obviously very talented, I think the gesture being made by the FIA is the right and most respectful one. RIP

Myrddin

challengemaster wrote: »

I think the gesture being made by the FIA is the right and most respectful one. RIP

Agreed, it seems somehow fitting, that #17 will forever be Jules' number now.

frostie500

Personally I don't agree with retiring the number 17 from F1. Retiring numbers should be done for people that leave a lasting legacy on a sport and I find it very difficult to believe that Jules did that. Yes he'll be remembered, and rightly so, but his legacy on the sport is negligible at best and I think that this is a gesture that shouldnt be made simply because a man died in a race. Jules had loads of potential and could have been a great driver but it's a great unanswered question now

Myrddin

frostie500 wrote: »

Personally I don't agree with retiring the number 17 from F1. Retiring numbers should be done for people that leave a lasting legacy on a sport and I find it very difficult to believe that Jules did that. Yes he'll be remembered, and rightly so, but his legacy on the sport is negligible at best and I think that this is a gesture that shouldnt be made simply because a man died in a race. Jules had loads of potential and could have been a great driver but it's a great unanswered question now

Can't say I agree frostie, I understand where you're coming from but ultimately I think losing your life for a sport more than warrants something like this. At the end of the day, who'd want #17 now anyway? It's going to be forever associated with Jules, regardless, so they may as well make it official. It seems to me, a fitting gesture on the part of F1.

Charlie-Bravo

Jules lost his life caused by an accident while competing in an F1 race. The car number was personal to him. It is fitting and respectful for the powers that be in F1 retire the number in his honour.

HighLine

A fairly moving images from this morning's funeral

https://twitter.com/BBCSport/status/623493695871057920

https://twitter.com/NobleF1/status/623473389886406656

Frank Bullitt

Emotional day for F1.

Apparently Alonso couldn't go as he is too upset, he was very close with Jules. Terribly sad if true.

frostie500

astrofluff wrote: »

Jules lost his life caused by an accident while competing in an F1 race. The car number was personal to him. It is fitting and respectful for the powers that be in F1 retire the number in his honour.

Numbers don't need to be retired to be associated with a driver though. The number 27 was never Gilles Villeneuve's number because he wanted it but it became synonymous with him despite other drivers using it over the years. I would have liked to have seen the FIA use Bianchi's name as a young driver prize or as the trophy for the Euro F3 champion. I think that would have been more lasting.

The one thing about numbers is that if you retire Jules' number will you retire other drivers numbers? When Hamilton, Alonso, Vettel etc retire will those numbers be retired? We could run out of numbers quite quickly

Myrddin

frostie500 wrote: »

When Hamilton, Alonso, Vettel etc retire will those numbers be retired? We could run out of numbers quite quickly

Jules didn't retire frostie, he died

frostie500

Myrddin wrote: »

Jules didn't retire frostie, he died

And it was a tragedy and something that will affect the sport. Ijust can't figure out why his number should be retired. I'm sure that people will feel it insensitive of me, I think you's know me enough to know that's not the intention!, but a driver with on points finish to him hasn't left enough of a legacy on the sport to be remembered in this way for me at least. I watch a lot of US sports where retiring numbers is a common occurrence but it's always reserved for the best of the best. The most successful players that left a mark on a team. If Manor decided that no other driver would use number 17 on their cars I'd whole heartily agree with it...but not for the number to be taken out of circulation for all drivers.

Myrddin

frostie500 wrote: »

And it was a tragedy and something that will affect the sport. Ijust can't figure out why his number should be retired. I'm sure that people will feel it insensitive of me, I think you's know me enough to know that's not the intention!, but a driver with on points finish to him hasn't left enough of a legacy on the sport to be remembered in this way for me at least. I watch a lot of US sports where retiring numbers is a common occurrence but it's always reserved for the best of the best. The most successful players that left a mark on a team. If Manor decided that no other driver would use number 17 on their cars I'd whole heartily agree with it...but not for the number to be taken out of circulation for all drivers.

I think 'needing to leave a legacy' is irrelevant really, he lost his life competing, paying the highest price of all. I don't see the connection with retiring as a legacy driver that you seem to be getting at...whether he was a multiple world champion or a rookie back marker makes no difference in my opinion. It's not about skill, or a trail of trophies, it's about recognising that at the end of the day, F1 drivers are all together in bringing us the F1 show, & Jules certainly left positive memories behind. Retiring from the sport, & dying partaking in it, should be treated quite differently.

Charlie-Bravo

I think what makes this different to Gilles Villeneuve is that the number system is now assigned to the driver as they compete in F1 - it doesn't change once they enter the sport.