Drivers pay last respects to Bianchi at funeral

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In the round-up: Jules Bianchi’s funeral in Nice is attended by current Formula One drivers including Sebastian Vettel and Romain Grosjean, who were pallbearers.

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Lewis Hamilton among mourners at Jules Bianchi’s funeral in Nice (The Guardian)

"Bianchi’s compatriot Romain Grosjean, a close friend of the former Marussia driver, greeted Felipe Massa, Nico Hulkenberg and Daniil Kvyat, as they arrived for the service on Tuesday. Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg and four-times champion Alain Prost were also in attendance."

Jules Bianchi: Formula 1 bids farewell at driver's funeral (BBC)

"Sebastian Vettel, the four-time world champion, and F1 Lotus driver and fellow Frenchman Romain Grosjean helped carry Bianchi's coffin after the service."

F1 to cut down to two tests in 2016 (Autosport)

"In addition, and for the first time since 2011, there will be no in-season testing."

FIA confirms no grid penalty for next Honda engine (Motorsport)

"Honda is now evaluating what impact that decision has on its plans for both the Hungarian Grand Prix and beyond."

Electric car goes faster than F1: Battery powered 'go-cart' breaks world record by going 0-100km/h in 1.7 seconds (Daily Mail)

"This makes the vehicle, developed by engineers at the University of Stuttgart in Germany, faster than a Formula One racing car or the world's fastest road car the Bugatti Veryon."

Comment of the day

Fernando Alonso didn’t see the chequered flag at the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix – but was it still one of his best drives?

Alonso was an absolute monster in this race, simply out of this world.

He started 15th and overtook nine cars on the opening lap. Before Raikkonen’s crash brought out the safety car on lap 26, he was 39 seconds ahead of the McLaren’s while not even at 40% race distance. Insanity.

Alonso was Senna-esque that race.
@Kingshark

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59 comments on “Drivers pay last respects to Bianchi at funeral”

  1. Am I the only one that is a little botter by The Guardian headline?

    Anyway, the images are so sad, everything about this is so sad, and I´m glad some of the drivers could attend the funeral.

    RIP Jules.

    1. Well, in Brazil the headline was “Felipe Massa cries on Jules Bianchi funeral”…

      1. Just proves regardless of event, journalism is still about grabbing the attention of the reader. Outside of the F1 circles and the avid F1 supporter, unfortunately Bianchi hadn’t reached levels of fame.

      2. And in Sweden “Marcus Ericsson attends Jules Bianchi funeral”. Obviously.

    2. Hmm. You might not want to see the Daily Mail’s headline then.

      1. link? cant find it

          1. That did not work. Anyway, the headline read ‘Jules Bianchi laid to rest as Lewis Hamilton joins mourners for tragic Formula One driver who died nine months after horror crash at Japanese Grand Prix’.

    3. Just like the other day the BBC ran the headline “Button leads tributes to Bianchi”.

      I highly doubt he led them, but as far as journalists are concerned it’s all about grabbing attention. Button is a recognised name, even outside of F1.

      In fact, the majority of drivers that are mentioned in the coverage of this are those names that may be recognised by people who don’t follow the sport. Maldonado is front and centre in a lot of the photos, but I haven’t seen a single mention of him by the media.

      The important thing is that his friends, family and his competitors were all there paying their respects.

    4. In South Africa… Says F1 Driver died.

      Sucks.

      Ciao Jules

    5. Heartwarming & tearjerking in the same photo.

  2. Such moving images. It was very hard to swallow. I was at work going through twitter watching something I never believed I’d watch again… the drivers I watch every other weekend racing on a track, dressed in black, crying the loss of one of their collegues. But I’m glad they also celebrated his life, the life of a champion.

    So long, Jules. :(

  3. BTW, I also remember Hungary 2006 to be one of Alonso’s best drives ever, and had that tyre nut stayed in place, I’d well be among the best drives ever in this sport. The onboard shot of his first lap is a must watch, and had it happened closer to the front of the field, it’d be a great contender to Senna’s Donington first lap.

    1. @fer-no65 @kingshark I wonder if it was so good it made the FIA sit up and take notice, then ban the mass damper?

    2. @fer-no65 In my opinion, he surpassed Senna’s drive of Donnington. Not to forget, Alonso was in the midst of a titanic battle with Schumacher. Michael had won 3 races on the trot and Fernando was furious with what happened to him with FP with Doornbos. I remember watching the onboard footage where later in FP3 he intentionally slowed down a lot where Michael passed him and he screamed on the radio, “Yes! Michael overtook two cars under red flag. One me and one Kubica” to which his engineer replied, “Fantastic!”

      That was the best 1st lap ever in my opinion and certainly Fernando’s best drive.

      1. I am sorry, but for me it was not as good as you portray it. Sure, the lap was great but Alonso drove on superior Michelin-tyres compared to most of the direct opponents on Bridgestone. From Wikipedia about the 2006 Hungarian GP: “Bridgestone wet-tyres used to dictate the field in non-dry conditions but today it seemed a one-off for the Japanese rubber. All Bridgestone-drivers, including the Ferraris, were seen struggling and seriously down on pace compared to their competitors.”

        1. Cough (traction control) cough

        2. @matthijs It’s truly disturbing how many people take the word of Wikipediia as gospel.

          1. @keathcollantine Please don’t offend me when you have a different opinion. Do you suggest that Wikipedia is wrong about the 2007 Hungarian GP?

      2. Alonso drove very well, but was under pressure from Button the moment it started drying out. Button pitted for fuel en was well over two seconds a lap faster than Alonso on a drying track. Alonso HAD to pit for dry’s or he would have been past by Button anyway’s. When Alonso pitted for dry’s, Button was doing 1.27s on inters, Ralf on dry tyres was doing 1.31s.

        Actually, his drive in the wet was extraordinary, but so was Schumachers, when all other Bridgestonerunners were dropping down the field, Schumacher managed to get a pitstop (with nose change) over Massa and all the other Bridgestonerunners. Bridgestone was terrible in the wet that day. Alonso and Button were the stars of the race (Button perhaps more then Alonso).

      3. @matthijs
        Many of the drivers Alonso overtook on that lap and in the race (as a matter of fact, the majority of drivers) were on the same Michelin tyres he was. In fact , just before the safety car came out on lap 26, he was lapping 2 seconds faster than anyone else, including the fellow Michelin runners.

        1. You are right. But based on the onboard shots I cannot comprehend why he has so much more grip and traction than his opponents.

  4. The pictures from the memorial were truly heartbreaking. There was something so dignified about all the drivers particularly Vettel and Grosjean (and Vergne), was beautiful to watch. Ciao Jules.

  5. Despite the fact that I signed the petition that may have lead to the decision, I can’t help but think retiring Jules’ number from the sport was a bit over the top.

    1. I think it was the right decision. Now beyond ten years or so, perhaps a young driver might want the number 17, he could ask the Bianchi family and the FIA for permission. I know any new driver soon probably wouldn’t take 17 out of respect, and I think the FIA move is a formal way of them showing their respects to a great young talent.

      1. petebaldwin (@)
        22nd July 2015, 10:35

        Yeah but they would have. Someone would have joined in a year or two who would have been number 17 for their whole life and it would cause a huge issue – better to just retire the number now IMO.

        I don’t think it’s a great tribute to do so but I think it’s a very good decision.

    2. Yeah I think so too. Maybe retiring it for set period, like 5 years? After that it can be used again? I feel it kinda sad if in the future we only remembered Bianchi when new fans asked why there’s no no.17 car.

  6. OmarR-Pepper - Vettel 40 victories!!! (@)
    22nd July 2015, 4:53

    I was just 10 (and there was little info about F1 here at that time) when Ayrton passed away. When you are a child and the news say your hero died, there is an obvious moment of disbelief, you may cry, but a child moves on quick when this is not related to a person you know directly.
    But this time, and being now a true F1 fan, and watching the pictures of Jules final goodbye, surrounded by his rivals during races, but friends outside the track, I felt moved and touched by the whole scene, you can see how close they really are. They are together as a family, no matter if the local press at different countries wants to highlight Massa or Jean or Lewis. They are not looking for flashes or likes this time, they are there as the true friends they are and it’s good to see they will keep that respect as a motivation to work as GPDA, to get improvements related to safety, so these kind of scene become the last ones in countless years.

  7. I won’t speculate on why this is the case, as everyone grieves in their own way, but I’m a little confused by the absence of Fernando Alonso from Bianchi’s funeral, and the lack of any tweets from him concerning Jules’ demise. No one tweeted ‘#forzajules’ more than he did last year, so it’s a surprise to hear nothing from him now.

    1. Alonso did tweet several messages after the news of Jules passing away got out @wificats. No clue why he did not attend though

    2. He doesn’t like this kind of events. He said that he was in the hospital a lot of time and has no need to express his sorrow in public.

    3. But if Lewis Hamilton weren’t there…. Imagine what we would be reading,..

      1. @Ed Marques – Where IS Lewis, I see all the drivers whom ‘attended’ in the pics except him. Doesn’t he get along with the other drivers or something? Not trying to start anything, I just find it odd that there is so much coverage of Hamilton at Bianchi’s funeral but not one photo?

        1. Scratch that, found 1 photo of Hamilton heading into the service by himself. Still find it odd that all the other drivers are together but HAM isn’t with them, but grief is a funny thing I guess, everyone handles it differenty.

          1. Sutil is present in those pictures with all the drivers (as one would expect considering his proximity to the accident).

            Unless something has changed Hamilton & Sutil, don’t exactly get on now so it might have just been a sign of respect not to make an awkward situation when the focus should be on Jules instead.

  8. “This makes the vehicle, developed by engineers at the University of Stuttgart in Germany, faster than a Formula One racing car or the world’s fastest road car the Bugatti Veryon.”

    A proper electric vehicle will always be accelerating faster than a petrol one due to the nature of the energy used. I doubt it can go the distance though, still the remaining issue as to why electric vehicles have not broken into the common car market.

    As for Bianchi, it seemed a nice funeral. Just completely tasteless how Belgian newspapers and broadcasts showed the actual crash. Once again shows how afar and strange and unkown the world of F1 and racing is in our country even though we have Spa which holds several of the worlds most important races.

    1. Yeah, its quite possible that after doing this run at top acceleration from 0-100 it has half its batteries depleted @xtwl!

      1. @xtwl @bascb I guess so, they probably wanted to save as much weight as possible. But with all batteries installed, they can drive for 25-30 minutes.

        1. yes, but then they would probably not get to quite that amazing acceleration anymore @andae23!

          Off course its still a nice feat, but clearly you always have to compromise between power, weight and endurance.

  9. Congrats to Greenteam for taking the acceleration record! Definitely one of the favourites for next week’s Formula Student Germany, along AMZ and TU Delft :)

  10. Watching the pic of Vettel and Grosjean and it immediately flooded my memory with Rubens and Prost carrying Senna! Really sad! I’ll remember this for the rest of my life.

    Goodbye Jules!

  11. Felipe and Pastor just broke down! That was pure emotion! :(

    http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/07/21/12/2AB8CDA400000578-3169177-image-a-41_1437476675615.jpg

    It’s just hard to sink it in!

  12. I don’t get all of those smiles at the funeral…wasn’t expecting that

    Plus, that headline is just very stupid. There’s plenty of things faster than F1 off the line, including ultramodified road muscle cars…so what’s the point of claiming something just to get attention?
    but since you can’t judge fishes by their ability to climb trees, they should address that. F1 cars are fast around a circuit on a time scale, and nothing can beat that.
    To me it’s like saying: look, I’m on a plane and I’m flying higher than an F1!

    1. @alfa145

      I don’t get all of those smiles at the funeral…wasn’t expecting that

      Have you never been to a funeral ?
      Every one I’ve been to has consisted of tears at the funeral followed by laughs at the wake – some of the best parties I’ve been to have been funerals because everyone is trying to be nice and supportive to each other and you’re all focused on remembering the good times you’ve had with the person that died.
      They’re great for reconnecting with friends and family you haven’t seen in a while and a great opportunity to bury the hatchet with those you’ve fallen out with.

      1. I would not like to go off topic. But.
        I’ve been to some funerals (not too many, luckily:)) and when it was for an old person who had had his days and died naturally, it was as you described, after the cerimony you see smiles and such.
        But when it’s premature or tragic I’ve seen totally different situations: even after the cerimony it was silent, hugs everywhere, tears, everybody would not even try to smile.
        The only reason I can understand them smiling is because of this 9 months of agony Bianchi endured have finally stopped, and so one could say he is better now than before. Other from that it’s quite surreal to me.

    2. As for the Electric Car headline, you have a good point. But of course it’s written like that simply to grab your attention.

    3. its good to be happy too and celebrate the life bianchi lived

    4. I guess the nine months makes it less of a shock, for fans as well as colleagues and drivers. A different, happier occasion than if the driver had died from an accident last weekend.

      It’s a really nice picture though, that sums up the effect Jules Bianchi had on people he met and raced with. Thanks, Max.

  13. Both tests will take place at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, with the first from March 1-4 and the second running from March 15-18.

    So no on-track activity from November 30 until February 28? It is going to be a long winter… I hope that @KeithCollantine has already started writing articles to fill that void ;)

  14. It was a great drive by Alonso. Though I’m not a fan of his I was extremely furious that he had lost what would be an epic win thru no fault of his own

  15. 2006 Hungaroring was stunning.

    You can talk about Michelin all you want, but let’s not forget how much of the field starting ahead of him was also on the same tyre.

    He blasted the opposition away from the very beginning and was a pit stop ahead of Button when he retired. Might be a good time to dig up the video and watch it again.

  16. Despite the speed Alonso had shown over the 1st half of the 2006 Hungarian Gp, I’m not sure he’d have won had he not retired with the loose wheel nut.

    Reason been that its often forgotten/ignored that Jenson Button was actually lapping a fair bit faster than Alonso & had been catching him by a fair chunk.

  17. Does Jean Todt came to the funeral..? (I didn’t expecting a certain old man, of course)

    1. Yes, he went.

      1. Thanks God.

  18. Alonso did not go to the funeral because he doesn’t like those events and because he was overrun by emotions. Alonso was probably the closest f1 driver to jules bianchi. They got to know each other pretty well ever since bianchi became part of ferraris’ academy. Once not a long time ago Alonso told someone that he even used to share the same airplane with bianchi when going to the racetracks for the race weekends. Last but not least , jules’ father told a newspaper that there were only 2 formula one drivers who were in constant communication and wanted to know everything about what was going on with jules and those two drivers were Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa. He said that all the other drivers or people from formula one were interested in bianchi’s condition at first but as months went by ,less and less of them showed any kind of interest for his son.

  19. No in-season testing.. Again. Then teams complain they cannot develop. Then they put it back. Then it is too expensive, then they cannot develop, and it goes on.

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