French Formula One driver Bianchi dies

Jules Bianchi is the first driver to die since Brazilian triple world champion Ayrton Senna succumbed to injuries sustained at Italy's Imola circuit in May 1994.

Bianchi passed away at a hospital in Nice, near his parents' home in the south of France. He was 25 years old.

"Jules fought right to the very end, as he always did, but today his battle came to an end," said the Bianchi family. "The pain we feel is immense and indescribable."

Bianchi came out of the Ferrari academy with a glowing reputation and was a test driver for the Maranello glamour team before joining Ferrari-powered Marussia.

He competed in 34 races over the 2013 and 2014 seasons, scoring the first ever championship points for Manor - then known as Marussia - by finishing fifth at last year's Monaco Grand Prix.

His F1 team paid tribute to the young Frenchman, "We are devastated to lose Jules after such a hard-fought battle," Manor F1 team Tweeted. "It was a privilege to have him race for our team."

Bianchi suffered severe head injuries when he slammed into a recovery tractor in wet conditions in fading light at the Japanese Grand Prix.

In 2013 Bianchi was elected the best rookie of the season, despite driving a car that was well off the pace.

av/gsw (Reuters, AP)