Drivers and teams display support for Bianchi

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It’s not just Formula One drivers and teams who are showing their support for Jules Bianchi following his serious crash in the Japanese Grand Prix.

Drivers in the GP2 support series, where Bianchi raced in 2010 and 2011, are also carrying his name and number on their cars. Stoffel Vandoorne drew attention to the ‘Forza Jules’ slogan on his helmet after taking pole position for tomorrow’s feature race.

Here are some of the expressions of support for Bianchi on display at this weekend’s race.

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Images © Ferrari spa/Ercole Colombo, Lotus/LAT, Williams/LAT, McLaren/LAT, Mercedes/Hoch Zwei, Daimler/Hoch Zwei, Red Bull/Getty, Force India, Sauber, Caterham/LAT, Marussia, Pirelli

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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19 comments on “Drivers and teams display support for Bianchi”

  1. ForzaJules? Isn’t he French?

    1. Yes I also thought that it should be ForceJules. It was trending alongside ForzaJules for a while on Sunday but I guess people valued his relation to Ferrari more than his nationality and it stuck.

    2. Yep…. a shame, IMO. Jense’s is in French though. So that’s something…

      1. Why is it a shame, a number of drivers are running tributes in both French and Italian. Doesn’t really matter what language it is in, what matters is that the messages show that the whole paddock is with Jules which is the most important thing.

        1. That’s a given and I obviously agree there, what I meant is his ties to Ferrari shouldn’t so easily make people forget that he is a French driver.
          A proud one at that. Obviously it’s nothing that really matters given the circumstances of “ForzaJules” but I still feel disappointed when people talk about this “Italian” driver who had a horrible accident and it’s all about “Ferrari hopeful” etc..(not here, but pretty much all over the internet…)
          Just a bit of pet peeve of mine.
          Drivers often struggle due to this. It is undoubtedly easier to make it in the sport if you are of certain, more motorsport aware, financially backing nationalities…)
          Again, this obviously doesn’t really matter in light of his corrent condition and Jules and his family are(I am sure) thankful for every well wish they get, no matter the language.

          1. *current condition

            (and I mean in the upper tier of motor sports)

    3. He is French, but he is also of italian descent.

    4. I think also because “Forza” is a common term in racing these days, and also because Bianchi is linked to Ferrari in so many ways. his last name seems more Italian to me. anyway who cares, both French and Italian are Latin languages. National pride is one thing, but usually it is irellevant to anything real.

    5. Schumacher is German…so should “keep fighting Michael” be in German as well?

      its sad that focusing on stupid details like this ruins such a special message of support, not only from all of the F1 teams & drivers but GP2 grid as well

      1. Fair point!

  2. I don’t like the gratuitous hashtag. It turns a tragedy into a social media marketing opportunity. Who cares if Jules is trending? That is completely beside the point.

    1. The hashtag is only technically required for a social media function, yes. I also thought it’s unnecessary and over-commercial. But given how sincere all the users are, I think it reflects how the hashtag is now becoming a part of grammar, a signifier of a grammatical case extending the meaning/function of the words it precedes.

    2. I thought the same with the Schumacher ones.

  3. It’s kinda depressing to see 2 stickers showing support to athletes victim of brain injury on that Mercedes..
    I for one, consider F1 safety record officialy over.. This time I think people became complacent on safety procedures

    1. Only one of them was in a car at the time and that was a freak accident that will probably lead to further improved safety regardless of the actual outcome for Jules (which we don’t know for sure yet . Every event you take part in has written somewhere “Motorsport is dangerous” because it is.

    2. Why do u think the F1 safety record “is over”. This was a freak accident caused in part by Bianchi. F1 has the very best safety record of ANY motor sport in the last 20 years so why does one accident mean that F1 is now the worst sport there is and its safety record is non existent?

      1. yeah it was a freak accident from running a race in a typhoon, a freak accident caused by a 5 ton tractor being on the racing track – just bad luck isnt it

  4. G’dammit, Jules! Please don’t die. I am sorry Keith Collantine for this outburst, but it is eleven thirty pm where I live in Canada and it just all of a sudden hit me. I am tears, and cannot sleep. I don’t want this young man to die. I can’t make sense of it all. I don’t even care about the whole ‘ we shouldn’t be racing in Russia’ crap. I just want Jules to wake up. Please, Jules, wake up.
    I am sorry everyone, I needed to vent.

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