F1 driver dies from crash injuries
French Formula One driver Jules Bianchi has died from injuries sustained in his October 2014 crash at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Bianchi suffered the most serious race injury since Aryton Senna’s death in 1994, crashing into a recovery tractor in wet and treacherous conditions at the Suzuku Circuit.
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He had been in a coma for nine months, succumbing to his injuries on Saturday morning.
“Jules fought right to the very end, as he always did, but today his battle came to an end,” Bianchi’s family said in a statement.
“The pain we feel is immense and indescribable. We wish to thank the medical staff at Nice’s [Centre Hospitalier Universitaire] 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.”
Bianchi, who came from a motor racing family, was a regular travelling companion of McLaren driver Fernando Alonso and was popular with other drivers.
Inside the survival cell of an F1 car.
His accident in the Japanese Grand Prix occurred at the same point of the Suzuka Circuit’s track where Adrian Sutil had aquaplaned off into the tyre barrier moments earlier and was watching his car being removed.
It is thought the conditions played a part in Bianchi’s accident, with heavy rain and wind wreaking havoc throughout the race.
The race was restarted behind a safety car twice before Bianchi’s crash.
