Bianchi family begins legal action against F1, FIA, Marussia

The family of Jules Bianchi has begun legal action against Formula 1, the FIA and Bianchi's former team, Marussia. The family says that the shortcomings of the organizers and the team during the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix led to Jules Bianchi's death.

 “We seek justice for Jules, and want to establish the truth about the decisions that led to our son’s crash at the Japanese Grand Prix in 2014. As a family, we have so many unanswered questions and feel that Jules’ accident and death could have been avoided if a series of mistakes had not been made,” said Philipe Bianchi, father of Jules Bianchi.

Law firm Stewarts Law is currently helping the family with legal proceedings. Through the firm, the family has sent pre-action letters of claims to the FIA, Formula One Group and Marussia. Explained in the letter is why the family believes the two organizations are at fault for Jules Bianchi's death. The letter states,  “Jules Bianchi’s death was avoidable. The FIA Panel Inquiry Report into this accident made numerous recommendations to improve safety in Formula 1 but failed to identify where errors had been made which led to Jules’ death."

Jules Bianchi died from his injuries during the rain-soaked 2014 Japanese Grand Prix. The young driver lost control of his car which then slammed into the crane that was retrieving Adrian Sutil's car. The typhoon during the race and the injuries Bianchi sustained made it difficult for an airlift, forcing the rescue to to transport Bianchi by ambulance. The peak impact force Bianchi's body received was measured at 254g. He was in a comatose state and died nine months after the crash. It was Fomula 1's first death in 20 years.