Bianchi's family arrive for tribute

26 July 2015 10:46

Jules Bianchi's family have arrived for the Hungarian Grand Prix as the sport of Formula One unites in tribute to the Frenchman.

Bianchi became the first F1 driver in a generation to die as a result of the brain injuries he sustained at the Japanese Grand Prix on October 5.

His death was announced last Friday after he failed to regain conciousness from his devastating collision with a recovery vehicle at the rain-lashed race at Suzuka.

Bianchi was laid to rest in his home city of Nice in France earlier this week, and a one-minute silence will be observed in tribute to the former Marussia driver before Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix.

Bianchi's parents, Philippe and Christine, and his brother Tom arrived in the paddock shortly before midday. Philippe and Tom were both wearing specially designed white polo shirts with "JB#17" woven in red on the front and back.

The FIA announced on Monday that 17, Bianchi's race number, will be retired from the sport in his memory.

Bianchi's death, the first in the sport since Ayrton Senna was killed at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, has cast a long shadow.

The paddock has paid its respects to Bianchi, a member of the Ferrari academy and a highly-rated driver who was expected to race for the famous Italian team later in his career.

All of the drivers, most of whom attended his funeral on Tuesday, have sported stickers reading ''Ciao Jules'' or "JB 17" on their crash helmets. Lewis Hamilton, the pole-sitter here in Budapest, has "#FlyHighJules" on his lid.

Source: PA