1994 was the last time we lost a Formula 1 driver. During the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, Ayrton Senna lost his life, just a day after Roland Ratzenberger’s fatal crash. And his death triggered a movement for safety in the sport that lasted 20 whole years. And then, 2014 came along. During the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix, F1’s brightest star, Jules Bianchi crashed into a recovery truck in treacherous conditions behind a Safety Car. And on the 17th of July 2015, we lost him. A fact that hasn’t quite sunken in just yet for Pierre Gasly.

It’s been 8 years since that fateful day when the sport lost arguably a champion in the making. A driver who had so much to look forward to. But even though he may not be with us anymore, his friends, family, and the sport as a whole have kept him alive in all our memories.

Pierre Gasly pays tribute to friend, Jules Bianchi

Both Bianchi and Gasly climbed up the motoring ladder together. Safe to say, the duo were good childhood friends. Hence, on the day that marks Bianchi’s eighth death anniversary, Gasly took to his social media account to pay his respects.

Gasly shared on his Instagram story a post by F1’s official account, which was captioned, “Along with the whole F1 family, we remember Jules Bianchi today and every day.” The Frenchman paid his condolences too, as he put a white heart next to the post.

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While Gasly will be remembering his friend today, it wasn’t too long ago that he almost suffered the exact same fate.

Will F1 ever learn?

8 years on from Bianchi’s fatal crash, the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix almost saw a grim re-rerun. Gasly almost collided with a recovery tractor on the track. The conditions were appalling; the visibility was as good as nil, and a tractor should not be on a track with F1 cars in such conditions.

After the event, even Bianchi’s father hit out at the sport. He was quoted as saying, “No respect for the life of the driver, no respect for Jules’ memory.”

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Can the sport of Formula 1 rest on its laurels? Or does a more strict approach to driver safety need to be looked into?