Yesterday came the news all Formula 1 fans have been dreading, following that terrible day last October. Jules Bianchi has passed away, just two weeks shy of his 26th birthday.
My memories of that day are still vivid: It was a grey Sunday afternoon on the Labour Day long weekend here in Australia and we were watching the Grand Prix. I was sitting cross legged on the floor of our living room, wrapped in a blanket and typing away on my laptop and B was sprawled out on our Lovesac. (This is not a sponsored post by the way...although if the good people at Lovesac feel like throwing some dollars and/or furniture my way...)
On lap 42 of the race when Adrian Sutil spun out and crashed his Sauber, I remember both us at home and the commentary team from Sky were so confused as to what exactly was happening down near turn 7. Between the marshals all over the track, the limited camera angles available and the rain still coming down, it was hard to see what was going on. At the time though, we weren't too concerned, as you could see Sutil watching the vehicle recovery from the side of the track. All of a sudden though, the race was red flagged and we were no longer seeing vision from turn 7. As drivers started climbing out of their cars, looking concerned and confused, B and I started feeling the same. What had happened? Why are they talking about Bianchi all of a sudden, when it was Sutil who had spun?
You could sense a change in the tone of the commentators, normally so boisterous and jovial, they were hushed. On the winners podium, usually such an ecstatic celebration, Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel had a quiet champagne toast between themselves, rather than the usual explosion of Mumm. In our living room, there was an ever increasing sense of dread. B just kept repeating "this isn't good...shit, this isn't good..." while I frantically scanned the interwebz to find any sort of information about what had transpired.
As we know now, what happened was a devastating series of events that led to Bianchi's Marussia slamming into the rear of the JCB sent out to recover Sutil's car. Once Bianchi's family had arrived in Japan, it was confirmed that he had suffered a diffuse axonal injury and was in a critical condition. And early Saturday morning, 9 months after that awful day, his family released a statement to announce Jules had passed away.
There is never any justice in a parent having to bury their child, particularly at such a young age. Jules was only 25, he had so much life left to live. I can't even begin to imagine the agony that Phillipe and Christine Bianchi must be in and I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say that our thoughts and prayers are with them during this terrible time.
If there is any small comfort to be found in this devastating loss, it's that Jules spent his last moments doing what he loved, what he was great at. It is so sad to think that we'll never know what a champion he could have been. Formula 1 has lost a star, but most importantly, the Bianchi family have lost a beloved son and brother.
Rest in eternal peace, Jules. We will never forget you.
#ForzaJules
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