Jules Bianchi: 10 years on, celebrities pay tribute to the motorsport legend
Ten years after the death of Jules Bianchi, who died on July 17, 2015 following a terrible accident at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix, a host of personalities from the worlds of sport and entertainment are preparing to pay tribute to him from September 12 to 14, 2025. In an event that is unique in the world: the Marathon Karting Jules Bianchi, organized on the Circuit Paul-Ricard in Le Castellet.
He was only 25 years old, but had already conquered all the minds in the very closed world of Formula 1. Since his death in 2015, Jules Bianchi has remained a figure apart, a modern-day legend of French motorsport. Every summer, the memory of this talented young driver resurfaces with force, reviving memories of a destiny shattered too soon, at the peak of a promising career. Jules was more than a hope: he was a promise.
Born in Nice and raised in Brignoles, he discovered karting as a child, and impressed early on with his maturity on the track. French Formula Renault champion in his first season in 2007 – like a certain Alain Prost before him – he quickly climbed the ranks. Encouraged by his manager Nicolas Todt and supported by the Ferrari Driver Academy, his future looked set for the F1 podium. But on October 5, 2014, in Suzuka, an accident in dramatic circumstances put an abrupt end to this trajectory.
While July 17, 2025 marked the 10th anniversary of his death, tributes to Jules Bianchi have never ceased. At the initiative of his father, Philippe Bianchi, and driver Franck Lagorce, the Marathon Karting Jules Bianchi was born to perpetuate Jules’ memory while supporting a cause directly linked to him: care for the brain-injured. Since 2016, the funds raised through this event have been donated to the specialized unit at l’Archet hospital in Nice, where Jules was treated.
A star-studded line-up on the Paul Ricard circuit
This year, from September 12 to 14, the 10th edition will mark a symbolic milestone. On the Paul-Ricard circuit, 35 teams of between 5 and 20 drivers will take part in an endurance race lasting 42 hours, 19 minutes and 50 seconds – a format unique in the world, charged with emotion and solidarity. Last year, Charles Leclerc, close to the Bianchi family and a true “track godson” of Jules, won the event with his childhood friends. He could well do it again this year.
Numerous personalities have already confirmed their attendance for this exceptional event. While last year stars such as Tomer Sisley, Paul Belmondo and others were spotted, this year the long list is getting longer. David Hallyday, Anthony Delon, Benjamin Biolay, Claudio Capéo, Catherine Davydzenka, Camille Lacourt, Stéphane Blancafort and Camille Lellouche will be treading the track or the paddocks, all driven by the same goal: to honor Jules’ memory and support an essential cause.
The Jules Bianchi Marathon is not just a competition: it’s an act of the heart. By bringing together athletes, artists and anonymous people, it symbolizes what Jules stood for: surpassing oneself, generosity and passion. For Philippe Bianchi, interviewed in Nice Matin, “Jules was an insatiable competitor. (…) But beyond the driver, there was the man, the son. The brother. The friend. An exceptional person. 10 years on, as I talk about him here and there, sometimes with people young and old who have never met him, I realize the extent to which he left his mark on people’s minds.”
For live coverage of the race, follow the Bianchi@lagorce Events youtube channel. https://www.youtube.com/@BIANCHILAGORCE
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