Jules Bianchi: Age, Biography, and Wiki
Jules Bianchi was born on August 3, 1989, in Nice, France. He hailed from a family with a rich racing heritage, as his uncle Lucien Bianchi was also a professional racing driver. Bianchi began his racing career in karting and progressed through various junior racing series before joining Formula One in 2013 with the Marussia team.
Occupation | Sports |
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Date of Birth | 3 August 1989 |
Age | 35 Years |
Birth Place | N/A |
Horoscope | Leo |
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Date of death | 17 July, 2015 |
Died Place | N/A |
Height, Weight & Measurements
Details about Jules Bianchi's physical measurements are not extensively documented, but he was known for his fit physique, typical of professional racing drivers.
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Dating & Relationship Status
Information about Jules Bianchi's personal life and relationships is limited, as he kept his personal affairs private. However, he was engaged to his girlfriend, Camille Marchetti, at the time of his accident.
Bianchi's exposure to motorsport started at around 3 years of age through karting and was facilitated by the fact that his father owned a kart track. Since age 17, Bianchi was professionally managed by Nicolas Todt.
Bianchi was reported as being unconscious after not responding to either a team radio call or marshals. He was treated at the crash site before being taken by ambulance to the circuit's medical centre. Since transport by helicopter was not possible due to poor weather conditions, Bianchi was further transported by ambulance, for 32 minutes under police escort. The destination was the nearest hospital, Mie Prefectural General Medical Center in Yokkaichi, which was 15 km away from the Suzuka circuit. Initial reports by his father to television channel France 3, were that Bianchi was in critical condition with a head injury and was undergoing an operation to reduce severe bruising to his head. The FIA subsequently said that CT scans showed Bianchi suffered a "severe head injury" in the crash, and that he would be admitted to intensive care following surgery.
Bianchi's parents arrived on 6 October and were joined, three days later, by their other children as well as Bianchi's best friend Lorenzo Leclerc, the older brother of his godson Charles. The family released a statement the next day, expressing appreciation for the outpouring of support from the public and for the presence of Professor Gerard Saillant, president of the FIA Medical Commission, and Professor Alessandro Frati, neurosurgeon of the Sapienza University of Rome, who travelled to Japan at the request of Scuderia Ferrari. They also provided a medical update, confirming that the injury suffered was a diffuse axonal injury and that Bianchi was in a critical but stable condition.
The first family update following Bianchi's emergency surgery was made by his father in the week beginning 13 October 2014. Bianchi was reported to be in a "desperate" condition, with doctors describing his survival as a miracle. Even so, the father openly stated that he drew hope from Michael Schumacher waking from his coma. Marussia also issued regular updates on Bianchi's condition while rejecting initial speculation about their role in the accident.
While hospitalised in Yokkaichi, Bianchi remained in a critical but stable condition, and required a medical ventilator. He was taken out of his artificial coma in November 2014 and began breathing unaided, making his relocation to France for admission at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice (CHU) possible. There, Bianchi remained unconscious and in a critical condition but more accessible to his family for their daily vigil. On 13 July 2015, Bianchi's father publicly conceded becoming "less optimistic" as a consequence of no significant progress and the lapse of time since the accident.
"It is with deep sadness that the parents of Jules Bianchi, Philippe and Christine, his brother Tom and sister Mélanie, wish to make it known that Jules passed away last night at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire in Nice. Jules fought to the end, as he has always done, but yesterday his battle ended. We feel an immense and indescribable pain."
Bianchi's godson, Charles Leclerc wore a tribute helmet to Bianchi at the 2019 Monaco Grand Prix, with the Bianchi's helmet design on one side and his father, Herve Leclerc's, on the other side. He used a full tribute design to Bianchi at the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix, in memory of the 10 year anniversary of his accident.
In December 2015, Bianchi's father announced plans to create a foundation in his son's honour to uncover and nurture young drivers throughout their career. The initiative involves exhibiting Jules Bianchi's memorabilia (from go-karts and single-seaters to personal pictures and videos) and merchandising with JB17 branding, sponsoring opportunities and events. Among the supporters is Prince Albert of Monaco, where the foundation is based.
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Net Worth and Salary
As of his passing in 2015, Jules Bianchi's net worth was estimated to be around $1 to $2 million. However, some sources have reported his net worth as $10 million. His earnings primarily came from his racing career, including participation in the Formula One World Championship.
Career, Business, and Investments
Bianchi's career was marked by impressive performances in junior racing series, including winning the Formula 3 Euroseries in 2009. He was highly regarded for his potential and was considered a future star in Formula One. Unfortunately, his career was cut short by a severe accident at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix. Despite his untimely death, Bianchi's legacy continues to influence safety measures in Formula One.
In 2007, Bianchi left karting and raced in French Formula Renault 2.0 for SG Formula, where he finished as champion with five wins. He also competed in the Formula Renault Eurocup where he had one pole position and one fastest lap in three races.
Among his first hospital visitors immediately after the Grand Prix were Marussia's CEO Graeme Lowdon and team principal John Booth (the latter staying by Bianchi's side even after the inaugural Russian Grand Prix), as well as Ferrari's team principal Marco Mattiacci and fellow driver Felipe Massa.
Following the Russian Grand Prix, Marussia's CEO Graeme Lowdon confirmed that the team would return to a two-car operation for the remainder of the season, however, the team entered administration prior to the next race, the United States Grand Prix. The team's financial backer, Andrei Cheglakov, later revealed that Bianchi's crash was a key factor in the Russian's decision to end his financial support of the team and quit Formula One.
Max Chilton dedicated his maiden Indy Lights pole position and race win to Bianchi, which he achieved on the same weekend as Bianchi's death. A minute's silence was observed before the start of the 2015 Hungarian Grand Prix in Bianchi's honour, in the presence of his family. Commemorative stickers on helmets and cars were other tributes at that race. Sebastian Vettel dedicated his win at the Grand Prix to Bianchi and his family, acknowledging that the Frenchman would have been a part of the team in the future. Daniil Kvyat also dedicated his maiden podium finish to Bianchi, along with the third-placed Daniel Ricciardo.
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicates fastest lap) † Driver did not finish the Grand Prix, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.
Social Network
Although Jules Bianchi was not active on social media due to his passing, his memory and achievements are often celebrated by fans and fellow drivers across various platforms.
Widespread tributes followed from fellow past and present drivers, Bernie Ecclestone, French president François Hollande, and other sport personalities. The Manor Marussia team also published a statement on their Facebook page describing Bianchi as, among other things, "a magnificent human being" and a "shining talent".
Education
Bianchi did not pursue traditional education beyond his early years, focusing instead on his racing career from a young age. His family's racing background and his own natural talent facilitated his entry into professional racing.
In conclusion, Jules Bianchi's life was marked by his passion for racing and his promising career, which was tragically cut short. His legacy lives on through the changes he inspired in Formula One safety standards.
A member of the Ferrari Driver Academy since 2009, Bianchi was a test driver for Ferrari in and a reserve driver for Force India in. Bianchi signed for Marussia in alongside Max Chilton, making his Formula One debut at the. Retaining his seat for, Bianchi scored his first championship points at the —finishing ninth after starting 21st on the grid—earning widespread acclaim from drivers and pundits.
Bianchi was the grandson of Mauro Bianchi, who competed in GT racing during the 1960s and three non-championship Formula One Grands Prix in. He was also the grandnephew of Lucien Bianchi, who competed in 19 Formula One Grands Prix between and and 13 consecutive 24 Hours of Le Mans (1956–1968), finishing 1st in Class three times at Le Mans, including the overall win at the 1968 24 Hours of Le Mans, before dying during Le Mans testing the following year.
In August 2009, Bianchi was linked by the BBC and various other media sources to the second Ferrari Formula One seat occupied by Luca Badoer during Felipe Massa's absence. Bianchi tested for Ferrari at the young drivers test at Circuito de Jerez for two of the three days, over 1–2 December 2009. The other drivers tested on 3 December included Daniel Zampieri, Marco Zipoli and Pablo Sánchez López as the top three finishers in the 2009 Italian Formula Three Championship. Bianchi's performance in this test led to him becoming the first recruit of the Ferrari Driver Academy and signing up to a long-term deal to remain at the team's disposal.
On 11 November 2010 he was confirmed by Ferrari as the team's test and reserve driver for the season, replacing Luca Badoer, Giancarlo Fisichella and Marc Gené, as well as confirming he would test for the team during the young driver test in Abu Dhabi over 16–17 November. Bianchi carried on his GP2 racing, as Formula 1 allows test and reserve drivers to race in parallel in other competitions. On 13 September 2011, Bianchi tested for Ferrari at Fiorano, as part of the Ferrari Driver Academy, with fellow academy member and Sauber F1 driver Sergio Pérez. Bianchi completed 70 laps and recorded a quickest lap time of 1:00.213. For the 2012 season, Ferrari loaned him to the Sahara Force India team, for whom he drove in nine Friday free practice sessions over the course of the year as the outfit's test and reserve driver.
The Grand Prix Drivers' Association announced that it felt a responsibility "to never relent in improving safety". FIA President Jean Todt also announced that race number 17 would be retired from the list of those available for Formula One drivers, as a mark of respect. In paying his respects, Ferrari chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo also stated that, owing to his GP2 experience, strong performances with Marussia and test sessions with Ferrari, Bianchi was the designated replacement for Kimi Räikkönen at Scuderia Ferrari.