RIP Jules Bianchi

Formula One and the wider world of motorsport mourned the death of young Frenchman Jules Bianchi on Saturday, nine months after the Marussia driver suffered critical head injuries at last year’s Japanese Grand Prix.

Bianchi was the first driver since Brazilian triple world champion Ayrton Senna, at Italy’s Imola circuit in May 1994, to die from injuries sustained during a grand prix weekend.

The Frenchman suffered severe head injuries when, in wet conditions and fading light, his Marussia slammed into a recovery tractor while it was attempting to remove Adrian Sutil’s crashed Sauber. The race was stopped and the unconscious driver was extracted from the wrecked car and taken by road ambulance to a nearby hospital.

Since the crash F1 has seen a change of starting times and the creation of a Virtual Safety Car to slow speeds in similar circumstances.

The young French racer of Italian extraction had every hope of one day joining the elite ranks of Ferrari Formula One drivers. The 25-year-old emerged from the Ferrari academy with a glowing reputation and was a test driver for the Maranello glamour team before joining Ferrari-powered Marussia.

Popular in the paddock, playing football with the other drivers and part of the Ferrari ‘family’, Bianchi’s dreams were far from wild.

“Of course I feel ready. I have been working on that since I joined the academy in 2009,” Bianchi had told reporters before the Japanese Grand Prix, when speculation was still swirling about the Ferrari line-up for 2015. “Now I have done nearly two seasons in F1. I have good experience and feel ready for that. It looks like the logical step for me if something happens.”

He had joined Marussia through a stroke of fate, with the team suddenly in need of a driver after terminating the contract of Brazilian Luiz Razia three weeks before the start of the 2013 season due to financial reasons.

Bianchi had hoped for a race seat at Force India, where he had spent 2012 as reserve, but had missed out to Germany’s Adrian Sutil a week earlier.

Nicolas Todt, the manager who had guided Bianchi’s career since the driver was 15 years old and who is also the son of FIA president and former Ferrari team boss Jean, seized the opportunity.

At Marussia, a struggling team who entered the sport as Virgin Racing in 2010, Bianchi quickly established himself as someone who could get the most out of a tail-end car.

A firm friend of Ferrari’s regular race driver and double world champion Fernando Alonso, the Frenchman hauled the Marussia to unexpected heights in Monaco last year when he finished eighth but was demoted to ninth.

The two points were still Marussia’s first and lifted them to ninth overall, a place that was worth tens of millions of dollars to the British-based team.

“He’s a friend and I’m extremely happy for him and very proud of what his result will mean for him in his career,” Alonso said at the time. “Hopefully with this result he can have a more competitive car next year and show his talent even more.”

The world will never know how much he might have gone on to achieve.

The following is a selection of the tributes flooding in across Twitter and other media:

BAHRAIN INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT
“Such sad news, we express our deepest condolences and thoughts to Jules Bianchi’s family and friends.”

BRUNO SENNA (Former F1 driver, nephew of Ayrton)
“My thoughts go to Jules Bianchi’s family. Hope the lessons we learned will stop more tragedies like these from happening! RIP.”

ROMAIN GROSJEAN (French F1 driver, Lotus)
“Yesterday we lost one of the best guys and best drivers I’ve ever met. I’ll miss you so much my friend...”

JENSON BUTTON (2009 world champion)
“Last night we lost a truly great guy and a real fighter #RIP Jules my sincerest condolences to his family and friends.”