I blogged a few weeks back about the new Marussia driver, Luiz Razia, welcoming him to Formula One. That was, of course, premature, as the poor chap’s sponsorship was not quite there. The third driver for the second seat, after Razia and Timo Glock, is Jules Bianchi, who spent the last few weeks testing the car and will, no doubt, soon be off to Melbourne for his first Grand Prix. Bianchi has been on the fringe of Formula One for a while, not just as a driver in other series, but also because he has been a suggested driver for various Formula One seats, including being suggested for Ferrari after Massa’s crash in 2009. He is a man with a racing pedigree, with his grandfather Mauro being the three times GT World Champion, and his great uncle Lucien who graced the podium of Monaco.
Marussia will be a challenge, no doubt, particularly as his co-driver is another rookie, Max Chilton, but another rookie with obvious talent and the ability to carve a future in the sport, even if the first drive is not in the most competitive of teams. I do hope that Marussia, Bianchi and Chilton all have luck on their side this year, and that the financial situation that has required Marussia to be so dependant on driver sponsorship at present is rectified.
I have had the pleasure of seeing Jules Bianchi race in various events over the years, and here are a few pictures, including Winter Testing for Marussia this year. Welcome to Formula One, Jules.
