How the memory of the Frenchman lives on, 10 years after the last F1 accident

Bianchi was driving for the Marussia team when he lost control of his car in torrential rain on 5 October 2014 at the Suzuka Circuit. Going off the road, he crashed into the crane vehicle that was in the sand trap to retrieve the Sauber of Adrian Sutil, who unfortunately had gone out in the exact same spot.

The impact left the Frenchman with a severe spinal injury and extensive brain damage, and he never regained consciousness until his death on 17 July 2015 at L’Archet Hospital in Nice, France.

Bianchi was accompanied by the reputation of one of the greatest young talents of the era, along with Charles Leclerc. Since 2009, Ferrari had included him in its Academy of new drivers, and in the summer of 2014 he had also participated in official tests with the then Scuderia car.

In 2014 Bianchi put in some great performances, particularly flattering the uncompetitive Marussia car – culminating in the Monaco GP where he managed to finish 8th, giving the team valuable survival points.

Many believed that Bianchi might have overtaken Leclerc in the Ferrari cockpit in the years to come – in 2016 or ’17, had he not been lost in the (hopefully) last crash in F1 history.

The FIA ​​retired the number 17 used by Bianchi in his memory after the Frenchman’s death. But Leclerc brought it back to his helmet at this year’s Japanese GP, wearing the colors of his lost best friend and godfather.

“Every time I come here I have Jules on my mind,” Leclerc had said then, “Obviously I think about him a lot because he’s the man who helped me get here. We’ve always been very, very close, and our families continue to be close.”

How Bianchi “lives” nowadays
After Jules’ death, his family founded the Association Jules Bianchi, which funds research into the treatment of patients suffering from severe brain injuries, while working closely with the hospital where Bianchi was treated to improve infrastructure and related equipment.

Philippe Bianchi, Jules’ father, had said about the action of this organization that “it’s the only way we have for Zule to continue to exist today. When Zhul returned from Japan, in a coma, everyone in the hospital L’Archet and on the brain injury ward they were great to him.

And when he passed away, we realized there was so much we could do for this hospital. Jules was famous, beloved, handsome, good… Luck in our misfortune was that Jules matter was made public. I have met so many people who are grieving the loss of their child and they had not this luck.

We must always look on the positive side. It’s quite a paradox, I must say. For us, the positive side is to make Jules live through our actions and this organization. This is how Jules lives, and that’s the magical side of everything.”added Philip Banki.

Last month (September 2024) a marathon Kart race was organized, with Charles Leclerc also in attendance. “All these people it was united around Jules, it was a real moment of happiness”continued Father Bianchi.

“We raised 50,000 euros for the organization in one weekend. This money went directly to a new machine for L’Archet hospital which helps wash bedridden patients.

Before that, we had bought a driving simulator, to help people re-acclimatize. This would be Jules’ wish: to do these good deeds, to support young drivers, to share love and joy”Philip Bianchi concluded.