French Formula One driver dies after prolonged coma

“The pain we feel is vast and indescribable'”.

He was the first Formula One driver to die of injuries received in a race since Brazilian triple world champion Ayrton Senna at Imola in 1994.

The death of Bianchi reminds of the one of Francois Cevert, who was killed during trials at Watkins Glen in 1973, aged 29.

The family added: “We wish to thank the medical staff at Nice’s CHU who looked after him with love and dedication”.

The Frenchman suffered severe head injuries when, in wet conditions and fading light, his Marussia slammed into a recovery tractor at around 200 kilometers (125 miles) an hour, while it was attempting to remove Adrian Sutil’s crashed Sauber. As soon as this crash happened, organizers displayed yellow flags warning the other drivers about the crash.

“I was there, and I was lucky enough when Jules finished the grand prix that I was the first person he took into his arms because I was on my own when he finished”.

“It is at times like this that we are brutally reminded of how unsafe racing still remains”.

Bianchi’s family had already lost a member in a crash.

His father Philippe for years managed a karting track near the Paul Ricard circuit near Marseille, in southern France, where Jules made his debut as a race auto driver.

Jules Bianchi and French motorsport executive Jean Todt at the 2013 Australian Grand Prix.

Although he didn’t race for Ferrari in F1, Bianchi had been the founding memory of their Driver Academy and tested for the Scuderia on several occasions with the expectation being that he would eventually receive a full-time call-up. Jules showed his abilities right from the start by overtaking Torro Rosso’s Daniel Ricciardo and Lotus’s Pastor Maldonado in his woefully underpowered Marussia.

His first car title drew him a lot of attention, and for 2008 he was signed up by ART to race in European Formula 3.

His death came only days after Philippe Bianchi had said his son would not have wanted to go on living if he was severely disabled.

With tributes pouring in from across the paddock and the wider motorsport world, Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle wrote: “RIP Jules Bianchi”.

Bianchi remained unconscious after the accident and sadly was unable to recover.

The official Twitter account for Formula One voiced condolences to Bianchi’s friends and family via Twitter, also referencing the young driver’s chosen race number – 17.

An FIA statement read: “The sport has lost one of the most talented drivers of this generation, from a family that has such a strong presence in the history of the sport”.

Jules Bianchi died on July 17, his family has confirmed.

Manor Marussia’s team principal John Booth described Bianchi’s death as an “enormous sadness” for the racing team.

Graeme Lowdon – the president and sporting director of the Marussia team (now renamed Manor) for which Bianchi was driving at the time of his accident – said the 25-year-old’s loss would be felt deeply within F1 at the Hungarian Grand Prix next weekend.

Displaying speed and skill, Bianchi had been touted as a Ferrari driver of the future, with the suggestion it could have been as early as 2015 in the possibility of F1 teams running three cars.

One of the last photos of Jules Bianchi at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix moments before the accident.