July 17 was a memorable day for F1, and that prompted me to finish this article even though it's quite late, I couldn't delay it to the next day.
Me and my 7749th part of trifling stories, wandering thoughts.
I have known Formula 1 for a very long time and have been passionate about it since about 2-3 years ago. And perhaps, the first impression of the sport is the racing car with the most modern and advanced technologies to ensure the lives of the racers.
However, no machine or equipment can guarantee absolute safety. Especially when they belong to cars that often rush at a speed of no less than 100km on races with sharp corners, terrain, and dangerous weather conditions. July 17th is probably a very ordinary day for everyone, but for F1 racing and its fans, it is a milestone for each of these people to be aware of the dangers in the sport that seems to have reached the strictest standards of safety.
Since the terrible crash of the legendary Ayrton Senna in 1994 at the GP San Marino, F1 has constantly improved, improved safety for racing cars, and no one expected that 10 years later, a tragedy would happen. Another fatal crash happened, after relentless efforts to ensure the lives of the racers. During the white rain on the Suzuka track (Japan) in September 2014, Adrian Sutil of Sauber team had an accident and needed a crane to move his car off the track. And while the crane was working at the edge of the track, the car with number 17 driven by Jules Bianchi lost control and collided with the crane at high speed. The days that followed were the time when everyone did not stop hoping that the young driver, a talent of the Marussia team, would recover, would return, and would be able to be a part of Scuderia Ferrari as his wish or the wish of so many fans. Yet fate played with hopes on 17/7 of 7 years ago, something bad happened, I don't want to talk about it here because it's painful, whether for Jules fans or simply F1 viewers, even for those cheering on his opponents!
Seven years after Jules' catastrophic collision, F1 is still constantly improving safety with new parts on the car, including HALO. The device named "halo", shaped quite like ... sandals (the most realistic description) was opposed by some people when it was first released but saved the lives of many racers.
Charles Leclerc in the crash at Belgian Grand Prix 2018.
Romain Grosjean in the crash at Bahrain Grand Prix 2020.
Max Verstappen in the crash at the British Grand Prix 2021.
Lewis Hamilton in the accident at the Italian Grand Prix 2021.
Most recently, Zhou Guanyu in an accident at the British Grand Prix 2022.
And many other racers have been protected by technologies that would not have been overlooked if it weren't for the Jules crash.
It's just my effort when I'm trying to find the bright spots in a very disconsolate event!
Of course, everyone hopes that the horrible accident didn't happen so that they can see Jules Bianchi - a promising young driver - race for Ferrari, continue to achieve success in a budding career, and the most important thing is to be alive. 7 years have passed, and now Charles Leclerc - a brother that Jules was very close to during his lifetime - has been writing Bianchi's unfinished dreams: to become a Ferrari driver, to win many points, to win the battle with the racing team from Italy which has an abounding tradition. Speaking of racing perspective, I still support Max Verstappen but from an emotional perspective, I hope that when the 2022 season ends, the championship will belong to Charles Leclerc because it will be a beautiful ending not only for the season. but also for Charles, or Jules far away.
Jules Bianchi, surely Formula 1 lovers will not forget you!
In conclusion, Formula 1 has always been a tough, dangerous and brutal sport, and not only me but many other fans are aware of that when choosing to follow and be passionate about it. However, sometimes, some things make our thinking go beyond our perceptions and attachments. And perhaps, we need those reflections to change our perspective on our favorite sport, like the way F1 is constantly changing, all for the safety of the driver, so that the remains of races are the joy, the excitement to the extreme, the aftertaste will be the sweetness of champagne for those on the podium, not the fear, anxiety, suffering, bewilderment.
