Formula One is still ‘too difficult’ to watch,says Jules Bianchi’s father Philippe

Jules Bianchi’s father says Formula One is still “too difficult” to watch, as the anniversary of his son’s fatal crash at last year’s Japanese Grand Prix approaches.

Formula One is back in Suzuka for the first time since the Marussia driver crashed into the side of a recovery vehicle on 5 October 2014. The Frenchman never regained consciousness, and died in hospital on 17 July this year.

Philippe Bianchi, speaking to the BBC, called the anniversary a “difficult moment … this week is not a good week for the Bianchi family”, and said he had been unable to watch a race since the accident. “Perhaps in a few months, a few years, I can see a grand prix again, I don’t know, but for the moment, it is too difficult.”

He added he has also not been able to bring himself to look at images of the crash. “I can’t see pictures of the crash of Jules and it is not possible for me to say something about the crash because it’s too difficult for me to look at the video. I don’t know what happened because for the moment I don’t want to see the video of the incident. Perhaps in one month, two months, six months, I don’t know.”

Discussing his son’s subsequent treatment in hospital, Bianchi said: “The problem when Jules had this crash, I think that his head and his brain were finished, because he had too much damage in his brain. You have two things – the neurological and the physical – and Jules had a very big physical presence, and I think he stayed in life because physically he is very strong.

“I feel that Jules is with me now, but it’s difficult because he phoned me and his mother every day, and now it is one year that I can’t speak with Jules and his mother can’t speak with him. And for nine months I can’t touch him and can’t give him a kiss. Jules was a very good boy, he was very near his family, and it’s terrible.”

An FIA report, issued in the wake of the accident, concluded that Bianchi “did not slow sufficiently to avoid losing control” under yellow flag conditions after a crane was deployed to recover Adrian Sutil’s Sauber that had spun off the track in the wet conditions. It also recommended Sunday’s race be staged one hour earlier, after Bianchi’s crash occurred in near-dusk conditions.

Bianchi became the first Formula One driver since Ayrton Senna to die as a result of injuries sustained at a grand prix weekend. The triple world champion was killed at the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994.

Will Stevens of Manor, formerly known as Marussia, said: “This weekend is going to be hard but I know we have to get through it as best we can. The sport is dangerous, it always has been and always will be. The safety nowadays is a million times better than it ever has been. Nine times out of 10 you can hit a wall as hard as you want and everyone will be okay.

“Whenever we get in the car there is a danger, but I would not say that we think about it, or it holds us back. If it gets to that point then it is not really right to be doing it.”