After fighting death for nine months, French driver Jules Bianchi succumbed to injuries at a tender age of 25 in a Nice hospital. It thus became the first death by an on-track accident since the tragic demise of legendary Ayrton Senna at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. The Marussia driver was cruising at 132 mph, a year prior, at the Japanese Grand Prix amid wet conditions. With a slippery track and lack of proper warning flags, the Frenchman rammed into the recovery tractor stationed on the side. He was taken to a hospital in Japan where he underwent surgery but his injuries were so severe that he had to be taken to his hometown of Nice where he breathed his last. In the aftermath of his accident, Formula 1's global body, the FIA, came under heavy criticism for going ahead with the race despite heavy rains and warnings of a typhoon. It was also found that the impact to Bianchi's car was of 254G - equivalent to dropping the car from 48 metres high to the ground.
On lap 42 of the race in Suzuka, the tractor was removing Adrian Sutil's car when a lap later, Bianchi failed to keep control of his car and crashed into the rear of the vehicle. The impact was such that the tractor crane was partially jolted off the ground causing Sutil's Sauber, which was suspended in the air by the crane, to fall back to the ground.
Upon Bianchi's demise, fellow drivers and constructors paid tribute to the Frenchman and a possible future Ferrari driver with messages of #JB17 or Tous avec Jules #17 ("We're all with Jules #17").
There have been discussions since then to make the sport safer by introductions of closed cockpits to protect the drivers’ heads.