To ask for your advice please?

[NameChangeTimeNow]

I’ve name-changed for this.

This is so random and I’m not really sure how it all came about it how to put this all into words, but I’d like some advice on how to deal with this please if possible.

I’ll do my best to explain this as fully as I can.

I’m not sure if anyone on here might remember a French Formula 1 driver called Jules Bianchi, by any chance? He’d been doing Formula 1 races for a couple of years until he had a really serious accident at the Japanese Grand Prix in 2014. He then went into a coma from which he never regained consciousness, and he passed away in summer 2015, when he was 25 years old.

I remember hearing about the accident when it happened, and feeling so shocked and upset as the accident seeemed preventable (to me, at least) and as I thought Formula 1 was a lot safer now that it used to be. I was really rooting for him to pull through, and I just thought he might, although clearly his head injuries were incredibly serious.

When he didn’t survive, I remember feeling really upset and awful for his family and everyone who knew him. Also, because he was so young and had such a promising future ahead of him, I found it really upsetting.

Since 2015, I hadn’t thought about it until a few days, when I was reading an article in a French newspaper about it. It just made me feel really sad and shocked all over again.

His family and friends have been incredible, and have set up a foundation in his name to help young people who have the potential to be future Formula One drivers, and they’ve done so much to honour him. He just sounded like such a kind person, and everyone had such lovely things to say about him. He just seemed really humble and sweet, as well as being hugely talented.

I just felt really powerless when I read the article as it just made me think again about how the accident was utterly preventable (although, of course, I’ve got no way of knowing this for sure at all). It’s just so bloody sad.

Thanks everyone.

Yeah i remember this- saw it happen on the telly. The stillness after the accident was the point when you realised it was serious. Thankfully those crashes are very very rare in F1.

I don't understand... what advice are you looking for? Your title asks for It, but your post doesn't suggest you're looking for any advice at all

The accident was totally preventable. Errors were made. Things have changed in F1 as a direct result of this accident so while it's not a safe sport, an accident like that should never happen again.

Jules would have gone into the sport knowing the risks. They all know the risks. They all know about Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger, who both died at the same race weekend. They love the sport and do it despite the risks.

I don't know if this helps, but Jules' accident has made F1 safer and he died as a result of doing something he loved

@FarmerSee, ops second paragraph 'I’d like some advice on how to deal with this please if possible.'

Thanks everyone for your posts.

GetShitDone thanks so much , it really does help. When you say that his accident ‘has made F1 safer’ and that he died ‘as a result of doing something he loved’, I think this is what I’m struggling to deal with.

Before reading your post, GSD, I couldn’t pinpoint what it was that I was finding it difficult to come to terms with, but it’s exactly this. I just feel really comforted that he was doing something he really loved and that, as you say, his death made the sport safer. It also just makes me feel so sad at the same time that doing something he loved so much ended up killing him. That’s the bit that I can’t get past and that I find it really upsetting. Any advice on how to come to terms with that? I remember my Dad talking about Ayrton Senna after he watched the film about his life (I was too young to remember Ayrton Senna), and it’s just so bloody tragic to have a situation when someone is killed doing something they love and are bloody good at.

I don't know if I can really help, but I'll try.

I watched my dad dying over a period of six months. He was still relatively young. He went through months of harrowing treatment and knew he was facing the prospect of not seeing his grandchildren grow up. That was the hardest thing for him, thinking about all the things that he wouldn't be a part of.

Although Jules was in hospital for a longer period of time, he never regained consciousness. He would not have been aware of all the things he would miss out on.

If I could choose between my Dad dying in the way he did, or dying suddenly while doing something he loved, for his sake I would chose the latter.

GSD I’m so so sorry about your Dad. That’s so sad. I’m really sorry. Thanks so much for your posts - it is really helpful. I’m so sorry - I sound so pathetic.

Thank you NCTN. Don't worry - it's surprising sometimes the things that really affect us deeply. I've watched F1 for many years (that's all down to my Dad), and the serious accidents and fatalities in F1 affect me too, so I do understand!