Jules Bianchi, one of the rising stars of Formula 1, tragically lost his life following a collision with a mobile crane at the Japanese Grand Prix on 5 October 2014. Having sustained serious head and spinal injuries, Jules died nine months after the collision in a hospital in Nice, France.
Following Jules’ death, Formula 1’s governing body the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) introduced numerous measures to improve driver safety and prevent another tragedy from taking place. Through the legal process, Jules’ family were able to secure various safety improvements as part of his legacy to motorsport. One of the most notable improvements that quickly followed Jules’ accident was the introduction of the halo crash protection device. The halo has since been credited with preventing serious injury in eight instances, potentially saving the lives of other drivers.
The legacy of Jules Bianchi
Following mutual discussions at the start of 2017, Jules’ family and various interested parties agreed on the lessons to be learned from the accident. Additional safety measures were taken to minimise the risk of a similar incident in the future:
- The Virtual Safety Car (“VSC”) continues to assist with controlling the speed of drivers when flag signals have been deployed.
- A fixed crane was installed at turn 7 at Suzuka to remove the need for a mobile crane when retrieving accessible abandoned cars during a race.
- Track drainage was improved at Suzuka and some other tracks.
- The FIA introduced a 4-hour guideline which establishes that the start time of a Grand Prix should not be less than 4 hours before sunset or dusk so as to ensure good visibility for the duration of the race. From 2015 onwards, the scheduled race time for Suzuka was to be moved forward one hour to 2pm local time.
- The FIA made recommendations for improvements in training provided by the FIA on Formula 1 safety procedures when drivers are first granted a Super Licence to race in the World Championship.
Since 2018, the halo crash protection device has been mandatory on cars in numerous FIA-regulated open-wheel racing series, including Formula 1. The FIA had been working on the halo’s design at the time of Jules Bianchi’s fatal accident at the Suzuka Grand Prix in Japan. Plans to introduce the halo were accelerated by the FIA following Jules’ death, despite resistance at the time from other participants and stakeholders in F1, including those the halo is designed to protect.
Despite initial criticism from within F1 around the aesthetics of the halo, it quickly established itself as an integral driver safety measure and is now universally regarded as a positive development in motorsport safety.
Subsequent events
Subsequent events have shown how Jules’ legacy and what happened at Suzuka in 2014 is never far from the minds of other drivers. As early as the 2018 Belgian Grand Prix, a first lap crash involving Fernando Alonso, Nico Hülkenberg and Charles Leclerc saw damage to two cars’ halos and Leclerc subsequently crediting the device with saving his life.
In the 2020 F1 season, driver Romain Grosjean was involved in a shocking crash at the Bahrain Grand Prix, after which fire quickly engulfed his vehicle. The halo device meant that Grosjean avoided what would otherwise have been almost certain severe head trauma. While this firmly settled any debate regarding the halo’s vital role in improving driver safety, with unanimous agreement amongst drivers and commentators that it likely saved Grosjean’s life, his crash highlighted other concerns on the design and specification of crash barriers, as well as the F1 car’s bodywork, demonstrating that improving safety standards in relation to all aspects of motorsport is an ongoing process.
At the time of the 2020 incident in Bahrain, Jules’ father Philippe Bianchi commented:
“I was personally very shocked by the images from Romain Grosjean’s accident last weekend. Romain and his family are very close to our family further to the tragic loss of Jules in 2015.
Following Jules’ accident at the Japan Grand Prix in 2014, the FIA has worked on the approval of a system designed to protect the head of the driver in the event of a crash. This system, known as the Halo, clearly saved Romain’s life. We can be proud of this innovation which Jules’ accident served to bring about. I therefore welcome this safety improvement introduced by the FIA following Jules’ death.
Jules was certainly there by Romain’s side this week and I am very happy that Romain can now spend the festive season with his family recovering from this incident.”
Subsequently, the importance of learning lessons in race management and the operational aspects of F1 were back in the spotlight at the 2022 Japan Grand Prix where, following Carlos Sainz’s crash into the safety barrier on the first racing lap, a tractor could be seen trackside close to the racing line. Fellow driver Pierre Gasly passed close to the tractor and commented at the time: “We lost Jules already… We all lost an amazing guy, an amazing driver, for the reasons that we know. Eight years ago, on the same track, in the same conditions, with a crane. How? How today can we see a crane, not only in the gravel, on a racetrack, while we are still on the track? I don’t understand that.”
These were shocking scenes, just over eight years to the day of Jules’ accident, with the impact chillingly summarised by Philippe Bianchi who spoke at the time of the lack of respect of Jules’ memory. The FIA’s subsequent review into the Grand Prix concluded that deployment of the recovery vehicle “could have been handled better”, signalling numerous improvements would be made including to the VSC, wet weather tyres and circuit draining capabilities. The incident highlighted that, while much good work had been done to honour Jules’ legacy to safety improvements in motorsport, opportunities remained to ensure that under no circumstances should a tractor or recovery vehicle be trackside while drivers continue to pass the scene of an accident.
Reflections ten years on and looking to the future of safety in motorsport
Reflecting on the legacy left by Jules on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the incident, his mother, Christine Bianchi, commented: “It is still difficult for us, but we do what we can to progress the association we created in Jules’ memory. We also help the Archet Hospital in Nice with purchasing items for the brain injury department, for the comfort of their patients and for the staff who helped looked after Jules. The improvements made in F1 have already saved other drivers, the virtual safety car, the halo. That gives some comfort as Jules’ memory lives on.”
Chris Deacon comments: “Jules left an important legacy that has undoubtedly saved the lives of other drivers. While I never had the honour of meeting Jules in person, I did have the privilege of getting to know him through representing his parents and siblings. As they reflect on the tenth anniversary of his accident, I hope that they continue to take comfort in Jules’ remarkable achievements which, although curtailed far too soon, have in many respects lived on long after his tragic passing.
The rules of motorsport and the requirements for enhanced driver safety are constantly evolving. There has been undeniable progress towards making the sport safer, but as we approach a significant revision of F1’s rules and car designs in 2026 it is imperative that continuing to learn from past events to maintain and enhance driver safety remains a top, non-negotiable priority. Technology is constantly evolving, presenting an opportunity for this high-profile sport to be at the cutting edge of safety improvements.”
Stewarts’ International Injury team represented the Bianchi family following the crash. Partners Julian Chamberlayne and Chris Deacon led the action on their behalf.
You can find further information regarding our expertise, experience and team on our International Injury page.
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