Two F1 figures defend Bianchi silence

Oct.11 - Two F1 figures have defended the fact that the topic of Jules Bianchi's death is no longer prominent in the paddock.

Last weekend's Japanese grand prix marked two years since the young Frenchman crashed at Suzuka and, nine months later, passed away in his native Nice.

There were a few spectator banners around Suzuka last weekend, and some of the drivers Tweeted in tribute to Bianchi's memory, but other than that it was not a big topic of conversation.

That is despite the fact that Bianchi's father Philippe is leading legal action against F1 authorities, claiming even that info about the Bianchi crash has been covered up.

Toro Rosso's John Booth, who in 2014 was Bianchi's Marussia boss, told the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf that he did not want to comment.

"It's a chapter of my life that I have ended," he is quoted as saying.

Max Verstappen, meanwhile, who in late 2014 was starting his F1 adventure with Friday practice outings, also did not want to dwell on the Bianchi story.

"If you keep talking about it, you can never close the chapter," said the Dutchman.

"Personally, I try to think about it as little as possible," Verstappen added.

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Leopold

Leopold Pleijsier founded F1-Fansite.com in 2001 and has followed Formula 1 since the early 1980s. He writes about daily F1 news, race weekends, drivers and the sport’s history.

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