On the 5th October 2014, the world of Formula One was shocked and stunned as one of its brightest stars, Jules Bianchi, was involved in a nasty accident that would overshadow the events at the Japanese Grand Prix.
The French racing driver, who has been tipped as a future champion lying in wait, has since been lying in a coma in his home town at Nice. He is rated so highly that he's been rumoured to have been involved with a potential move to Ferrari in the future.
His father, Phillipe Bianchi, has been understandably silent about the whole situation, but decided to speak with French news outlet Nice-Matin out of "respect for all those who continue to send Jules beautiful messages of affection and encouragement."
"The only thing we can say is that he fights with force, as he has always fought before and after the accident.
Every day, Jules is doing a marathon. From a medical point of view, his condition is stable," he explained, during the emotional interview. "It is fairly autonomous. No physical problem. All his organs are working without assistance. But for now, he remains unconscious, in a coma."
Bianchi's hefty 93G impact at Suzuka last year required urgent medical treatment, as he suffered a diffuse axonal injury, which needed emergency surgery at the Mie Prefecture General Medical Centre in Yokkaichi. After seven weeks, he was then flown back home to France, as his treatment continues at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice.
"Our universe collapsed on October 5th last year," his father said, who then stated that his son would keep in touch on a daily basis, no matter what was going on.
"Those questions that no one can answer replace life's next steps. Will he make it? If so, will he be paralysed or again live a normal life?"
Bianchi further touched on the fact that the type of accident that his son went through on that day in Suzuka has hit harder than if the ultimate price was paid.
However, he is still unchanged on his thoughts about the internal investigation that Formula One's governing body, the Federation Internationale de l'Autombile (FIA), carried out after the incident in difficult conditions: "Regarding this, I have nothing new to say. I'm frankly too upset to talk about this. I would rather prefer to focus my energy on Jules."
