Friends, colleagues and admirers all stepped forward to pay their last respect to Formula 1 racer Jules Bianchi after his death on Saturday.
The world of motorsport was shaken after finding out Bianchi, who has been in a coma since his accident, passed away at a hospital in Nice, south of France. He was 25 years old.
“Jules fought right to the very end, as he always did, but today his battle came to an end,” said the Bianchi family, as quoted by BBC sport.
Bianchi’s Manor F1 team took upon Twitter to express their loss:
“He has left an indelible mark on all our lives, and will forever be part of everything we have achieved, and everything we will strive for going forward,” they added.
The Frenchman suffered severe head injuries when his Marussia slammed into a recovery vehicle during the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix. He has since then been in a coma for the past nine months, before passing away.
Upon hearing about his death, tributes flew from all around the world. McLaren’s Jenson Button was among the first to tweet on Saturday:
Reigning champion Lewis Hamilton also tweeted:
Ex-Marussia racer Max Chilton, who raced with Bianchi for two years in F1, shared a picture of himself and Bianchi on Twitter, stating: “No words can describe what his family & the sport have lost. All I can say is it was a pleasure knowing and racing you.”
The official Twitter account for Formula One also voiced condolences to Bianchi’s friends and family, also referencing the young driver’s chosen race number – 17.
Others include:
His family said: “We thank Jules’s colleagues, friends, fans and everyone who has demonstrated their affection for him over these past months, which gave us great strength and helped us deal with such difficult times.
“Listening to and reading the many messages made us realize just how much Jules had touched the hearts and minds of so many people all over the world.”
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