Today is a sad day in the world of motor sports with news that F1 driver Jules Bianchi has died.
Bianchi sustained head injuries after his Marussia car got in a high speed collision with a mobile crane that was being used to pick up a crashed car at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix.
Bianchi had been in a coma since that horrific October 5 incident and his death has left his family, friend and followers in a state of grief.
Bianchi's family has reported that Jules didn't go down without a fight though ultimately he was unable to won the fight against his extreme crash injuries.
The 25 year old Bianchi passed away while under medical care at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire in Nice, France. He was transferred there after initial emergency treatment in Japan after the accident.
"We wish to thank the medical staff at Nice's CHU who looked after him with love and dedication," the family statement said. "We also thank the staff of the General Medical Center in the Mie Prefecture (Japan) who looked after Jules immediately after the accident, as well as all the other doctors who have been involved with his care over the past months."
Bianchi is the first F1 driver to die of injuries sustained during an F1 race since Ayrton Senna. Senna was killed in 1994 while competing in the San Marino Grand Prix.
Bianchi suffered the accident towards the end of the race at the Suzuki Circuit. His car slid off the track and collided with the crane which was clearing the car of Adrian Sutil who has crashed one lap earlier.
The section of the track was already subject to double yellow caution flags after Sutil's accident but race marshals failed to prevent a second incident, which unfortunately involved Bianchi.
The passing of Jules marks the second time that one of his family members has died in a crash. Back in 1969, Luchien Bianchi (Jules' uncle) also died while testing the Le Mans race track before crashing his Alfa Romeo into a post.
