In the early hours of Saturday morning, Jules Bianchi's family released a statement confirming the heartbreaking news that he has passed away at the age of 25.
Regarded as one of F1's brightest young stars, the Frenchman suffered severe brain injuries in an accident during last year's Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.
He spent the last nine months in a coma in hospital but sadly died late on Friday night at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire in Nice, France.
Bianchi's family released the following statement: "Jules fought right to the very end, as he always did, but today his battle came to an end. The pain we feel is immense and indescribable.
"We wish to thank the medical staff at Nice’s CHU who looked after him with love and dedication. We also thank the staff of the General Medical Center in the Mie Prefecture (Japan) who looked after Jules immediately after the accident, as well as all the other doctors who have been involved with his care over the past months.
"Furthermore, we thank Jules’ 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.
"We would like to ask that our privacy is respected during this difficult time, while we try to come to terms with the loss of Jules."
Bianchi won races throughout his journey up the single-seater ladder, securing championships in Formula Renault 2.0 and Formula 3. He twice finished third in the GP2 series and was 2012 Formula Renault 3.5 runner-up.
His success and talent caught the attention of Ferrari, and he was the first driver to be signed to the F1 team's Driver Academy in December 2009. In 2011 he was appointed the Maranello-based outfit's test driver, before being loaned to Force India in a similar role for the following season.
He was in the mix for one of the team's race seats for 2013, but lost out to Adrian Sutil. However, he was picked up by Marussia to replace Luiz Razia and made his debut at the Australian Grand Prix. He outpaced his team-mate Max Chilton throughout the season, impressing despite the team's lack of competitiveness.
Bianchi was retained for 2014 and put in some stand-out performances early in the year, including an aggressive and inspired drive in Monaco to score Marussia's first points.
Tributes have flooded in for Bianchi on social media from friends, colleagues, former team-mates and fans. He was a popular member of the F1 grid, known for his aggressive driving style and big smile. Always a pleasure to watch race, he had such an amazing talent and has been taken away far too soon.
My thoughts are with Bianchi's friends and family at this very difficult time. Rest in peace Jules, you will never be forgotten and will be missed by many.
 |
| © Marussia F1 Team |
He spent the last nine months in a coma in hospital but sadly died late on Friday night at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire in Nice, France.
Bianchi's family released the following statement: "Jules fought right to the very end, as he always did, but today his battle came to an end. The pain we feel is immense and indescribable.
 |
| © Marussia F1 Team |
"We wish to thank the medical staff at Nice’s CHU who looked after him with love and dedication. We also thank the staff of the General Medical Center in the Mie Prefecture (Japan) who looked after Jules immediately after the accident, as well as all the other doctors who have been involved with his care over the past months.
"Furthermore, we thank Jules’ 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.
"We would like to ask that our privacy is respected during this difficult time, while we try to come to terms with the loss of Jules."
Bianchi won races throughout his journey up the single-seater ladder, securing championships in Formula Renault 2.0 and Formula 3. He twice finished third in the GP2 series and was 2012 Formula Renault 3.5 runner-up.
His success and talent caught the attention of Ferrari, and he was the first driver to be signed to the F1 team's Driver Academy in December 2009. In 2011 he was appointed the Maranello-based outfit's test driver, before being loaned to Force India in a similar role for the following season.
He was in the mix for one of the team's race seats for 2013, but lost out to Adrian Sutil. However, he was picked up by Marussia to replace Luiz Razia and made his debut at the Australian Grand Prix. He outpaced his team-mate Max Chilton throughout the season, impressing despite the team's lack of competitiveness.
 |
| © Marussia F1 Team |
Bianchi was retained for 2014 and put in some stand-out performances early in the year, including an aggressive and inspired drive in Monaco to score Marussia's first points.
Tributes have flooded in for Bianchi on social media from friends, colleagues, former team-mates and fans. He was a popular member of the F1 grid, known for his aggressive driving style and big smile. Always a pleasure to watch race, he had such an amazing talent and has been taken away far too soon.
My thoughts are with Bianchi's friends and family at this very difficult time. Rest in peace Jules, you will never be forgotten and will be missed by many.
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