The funeral of Jules Bianchi will be held on Tuesday, July 21, 2015, at 10:00 AM at the Sainte-Réparate Cathedral in Nice. According to the International Automobile Federation, he was “one of the most talented drivers of his generation, coming from a family that has left its mark on the history of this discipline.”
Having passed away on July 17 in Nice, the Formula 1 driver was a victim of a terrible accident, in the rain, during the Japanese Grand Prix in October 2014. He had been in a coma since then after colliding with a recovery vehicle at very high speed.
Jules Bianchi is the first F1 driver to succumb to his injuries during a Grand Prix since Ayrton Senna in 1994 (San Marino Grand Prix). With a successful career in karting, he won the Super-ICC title in the WSK – Italian International Series in 2006. After competing in the GP2 Series and Formula Renault 3.5 Series, he conducted his first tests in Formula 1 with Ferrari on December 1st and 2nd, 2009, at the Jerez circuit.
Jules Bianchi eventually joined the Marussia F1 Team in March 2013, where he replaced Brazilian Luiz Razia. On October 5, 2014, during the 43rd lap of the Japanese Grand Prix, under heavy rain, he collided with a recovery vehicle that was clearing Adrian Sutil’s Sauber. Unconscious, he was evacuated from the circuit and transported to a hospital near Suzuka, where he underwent surgery for a brain hematoma. The circumstances of the accident caused a major controversy at the time.
