Motorsport is one of the most thrilling experiences for both racers and fans. However, there is no denying that it is also one of the most dangerous sporting events and the drivers/riders are always at risk of serious injury or at times even death.
And October 5 marks the 10th anniversary of the unfortunate and untimely death of one of Formula 1’s brightest — Jules Bianchi. While it’s a sad moment for the entire F1 community, it is especially tough on those closest to him.
Jules’ dad Philippe Bianchi has led the tributes that have been pouring in from various parts of the world. He uploaded a photograph of Jules on Instagram and simply wrote “no comment” in the comment section, suggesting how heavy-hearted he must be feeling on this day.
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This is even worse for him this year because Philippe also lost his mother on October 4, and also put out a post in her memory. He captioned the post, asking her mom to take care of Jules for him. “Very sad to have lost you this night. Rest in peace my dear mom and take care of Jules. I love you forever ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️.”
Philippe has understandably been a vocal advocate for the need to keep improving driver safety ever since his son’s death. He even made stern comments about how Pierre Gasly’s safety was compromised due to the presence of a recovery tractor on the track during a Safety Car period while the Frenchman was still speeding to catch the pack under poor visibility conditions.
Both Philippe’s and Gasly’s anger was warranted, considering that Jules lost his life due to the presence of a recovery vehicle (a digger) on the track.
The tragedy of Jules resulted in F1 introducing new safety measures
During the late stages of the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix, Bianchi lost control of his car in extremely wet conditions and collided with a recovery vehicle, which resulted in him suffering a diffuse axonal injury. He never regained consciousness following the crash and spent nine months in a coma before he was pronounced dead by the doctors.
On this day in 2014, Jules Bianchi suffered a horrific crash at Suzuka that would claim his life almost 9 months later. While tragic, the legacy of his accident saw the introduction of new safety measures such as the halo and the Virtual Safety Car
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However, the tragic loss of this great up-and-coming racer resulted in F1 taking many more initiatives to increase the safety of the sport even further. One change that F1 introduced was the implementation of a Virtual Safety Car period.
Another important safety measure that F1 introduced was the Halo. Although not everyone was in favor of this head protection device when it was first introduced, several incidents in the recent past have resulted in even some of the most staunch critics of the device now accepting that they were wrong to criticize it initially.
