Ferrari: Ciao Jules

Nice – “Jules fought right to the very end, as he always did, but today his battle came to an end.” The words used by Jules Bianchi’s family to announce the passing of the young Ferrari Driver Academy driver who was involved in a catastrophic accident at the wheel of a Marussia during the Suzuka Grand Prix on October 5 2014 and never recovered from his injuries.

Jules was being cared for at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) in Nice where he passed away during the night.

Everyone in Ferrari and all of the Prancing Horse tifosi wish to extend our most heartfelt condolences to Jules’ family, particularly his parents Philippe and Christine, his brother Tom and his sister Mélanie, at this time.

Jules, speed in his veins

Jules Lucien André Bianchi lost is fight for life. He was born on 3rd August 1989 in Nice, France and had speed running through his veins. He was the grandson of the racing driver Mauro Bianchi, while his great-uncle was Luciano “Lucien” Bianchi, who won the 1968 Le Mans 24 Hours and drove in 17 Formula 1 Grands Prix under the flag of Belgium, his adopted country.

The talented Frenchman became the first student enrolled in the fledgling Ferrari Driver Academy in 2010, off the back of taking the European Formula 3 title the previous year, when he won no less than nine times. He made his competition debut in karts and by 2007 he was already racing single-seaters. As an Academy student, he raced first in GP2, where he took ten podiums and one win and then in the World Series 3.5, winning three times, finishing second once and recording a further five podium finishes.

Jules was appointed reserve drive for the Force India team in 2012 and the following year, he made his Formula 1 debut with Marussia. In 2014, he delivered the team its first and, to date, only points, with an amazing ninth place in the Monaco Grand Prix, on the track that, more than any other, highlights a driver’s talent.

Scuderia Ferrari: Farewell Jules.