F1 driver Jules Bianchi passes away
The racing world is in mourning after Formula One driver Jules Bianchi died from head injuries sustained in a crash at last year’s Japanese Grand Prix.
The Frenchman’s family posted the sad news on Bianchi’s official Twitter feed, and it was later confirmed by the Manor F1 team.
Bianchi, 25, had been in a coma since the October 5 accident in which he collided at high speed with a mobile crane which was being used to pick up another crashed car.
A statement issued by his parents Philippe and Christine, his brother Tom and sister Melanie said: “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.”
The Manor team tweeted: “We are devastated to lose Jules after such a hard-fought battle. It was a privilege to have him race for our team.”
Bianchi's father Philippe had spoken earlier this month about having become ''less optimistic'' of his son's recovery.
“It’s impossible,” he told radio station France Info on July 13.
“You sometimes feel like you are going mad. For me, it is more terrible than if he had died in the accident because we have no power to help him more.
“Generally, progress must be made in the first six months. It has been nine months and Jules has not woken up and there has been no significant progress.
“It is hard to get up in the morning when you are not sure if your son will live and when every day is like that.
“Time passes and I am less optimistic than I was two or three months after the accident, when we could hope for better progress.”
Bianchi died at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire in his home town of Nice, where he had been since his emergency treatment in Japan in the days after the accident.
We are devastated to lose Jules after such a hard-fought battle. It was a privilege to have him race for our team. https://t.co/USrDQbG7fZ
— Manor Racing (@ManorRacing) July 18, 2015
The family statement continued: “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 Centre 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.”
Bianchi’s accident prompted F1 to alter its safety regulations and stop a race faster under caution-flag conditions.
