Who was Jules Bianchi, last driver to die in Formula 1?

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Ten years ago, Jules Bianchi suffered a tragic accident in Formula 1 at the Suzuka Grand Prix.

Although very rare in recent years, fatal accidents in Formula 1 do happen, reminding us that the sport remains dangerous, and that drivers show immense courage when get in their F1 cars.

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A destiny as a Formula 1 champion

Jules Bianchi was a French Formula 1 driver born in 1989. His interest in motor sport stemmed from his great-uncle, a driver at Le Mans. He began his career in karting, then Formula Renault, where he showed a certain talent. He then joined the Ferrari Driver Academy. From then on, many saw in him the potential to become a world champion, and the ability to drive in Formula 1 for Scuderia Ferrari. Bianchi joined Formula 1 in 2013 with Marussia, one of the smallest constructors on the grid. Despite a weak car, he put in some fine performances, including a P9 at Monaco in 2014.

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The accident of Jules Bianchi

It’s October 05, 2014, during Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka. The weather is catastrophic: it’s pouring with rain. Adrian Sutil, then driving for Sauber, loses control of his F1 car and crashes into a safety rail. A mobile crane was brought in to lift and remove Sutil’s car. At the same time, Jules Bianchi also lost control of his F1 car and crashed into the mobile crane. He suffered severe head injuries and spent 9 months in a coma. He died on July 17, 2015. A promising destiny tragically shattered by an accident that highlighted a cruel lack of safety in Formula 1 and motorsport in general.

A fatal crash that will save Formula 1 drivers

Although terribly cruel, his accident will not have been in vain, as it will have helped shake things up in terms of safety by bringing about two major innovations:

  • The Virtual Safety Car (2015): virtual deployment of the safety car, forcing drivers to instantly reduce their speed. The VSC saves the many seconds needed to deploy the safety car.
  • The Halo (2018): extremely robust titanium structure attached to the car’s chassis, protecting the driver’s head.

The Halo has already saved 3 lives

The Halo has already saved the lives of at least 3 Formula 1 drivers, Charles Leclerc at the Belgian Grand Prix in 2018, Romain Grosjean during his terrible crash at the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2020, and Lewis Hamilton during his crash with Max Verstappen at the Italian Grand Prix in 2021. Despite the progress made in terms of safety, there are still areas for improvement. Sometimes, race management still takes too long to deploy the Safety Car or the VSC, as was the case at the Japanese Grand Prix in 2022. Under the same weather conditions as in 2014, Pierre Gasly (also French) narrowly missed hitting a truck on the track.

Finally, I must point out that Bianchi is the first to die in Formula 1 since Ayrton Senna & Roland Ratzenberger in 1994. There has been just 1 death since 1994, compared with 9 between 1975 and 1995. Let’s hope Bianchi was the last to lose his life in Formula 1.

Adrien Conges
Adrien Conges
I grew up near Magny-Cours, an old Formula 1 circuit in France so I've been passionate about motorsport and automobiles since childhood. I currently live in Bordeaux, France and I'm still waiting for Ferrari to win a 17th F1 constructors' title.

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