Formula One commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone pays tribute to the late Jules Bianchi by claiming the sport must do everything “not to let this ever happen again”.

Having fought in a coma for nine months, the Nice-born racer died aged 25 on Friday night from the severe head injuries he sustained during last year’s Japanese Grand Prix.

Bianchi’s Marussia went off track in wet conditions at Suzuka and hit the tractor crane that had been sent out a lap earlier to recover the stricken Sauber of Adrian Sutil on the outside of Turn 7.

“It was so sad to hear the news about Jules,” said Ecclestone. “We are now going to miss a very talented driver and a really nice person.

“We must not let this ever happen again.”

The 84-year-old thus shares the views of the Grand Prix Drivers Association, with the organisation vowing to “never relent in improving safety” following Bianchi’s death.

The Frenchman became the first casualty in the sport for over two decades; since the fateful 1994 San Marino Grand Prix weekend claimed the lives of both Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger.

Jules Bianchi: 1989 - 2015

F1 drivers pay tribute to Bianchi after death at 25

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Julien Billiotte

Recent Posts

Antonelli: ‘Still a long way to reach Verstappen and Norris’ level’

Kimi Antonelli is sitting comfortably at the top of Formula 1’s 2026 Drivers’ Championship standings,…

16 hours ago

Szafnauer: Root cause of Aston Martin ‘mess’ planted five years ago

Former Aston Martin team principal Otmar Szafnauer has delivered a stinging verdict on Team Silverstone's…

18 hours ago

Hadjar details how he unlocked his consistency at Red Bull

Isack Hadjar believes one of his biggest challenges during his first season with Red Bull…

19 hours ago

Four classic German GP winners at the Nürburgring on this day

Down the years, August 4th has seen several German Grand Prix races held at the…

20 hours ago

Gasly: Alpine’s Dutch GP upgrade ‘critical’ for F1 midfield fight

Pierre Gasly believes Alpine’s upcoming Dutch Grand Prix upgrade package will be “critical” to the…

21 hours ago

Piastri reveals hidden gains behind mixed first half of 2026

Oscar Piastri may not have the results to show for his efforts in 2026, but…

23 hours ago