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Marussia to run one car during Russian Grand Prix weekend - The team pay tribute to Jules Bianchi at the Sochi track

Published by Christine

Marussia to run one car during Russian Grand Prix weekend
Credit: Marussia F1 Team
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The Marussia team have decided not to run a second car during the inaugural Russian Grand Prix weekend, despite submitting Alexander Rossi on the entry list that goes to the stewards. The team had a difficult decision to make, wanting to pay their respects to Jules Bianchi, but also in the knowledge this weekend can be considered their home race.

A statement from the team says: “We will run a single car for the duration of the forthcoming Grand Prix weekend, out of respect for our driver Jules Bianchi, who remains in hospital in a critical but stable condition.” They have also put the JB17 logo on their car and clothes so that “although Jules is not with us in Sochi this weekend, he is, nonetheless, racing on with the Marussia F1 team.”

Teammate Max Chilton, who had been silent on the incident until this weekend, said: “I don’t know how to put into words how truly devastated I am… It’s going to be a very emotional weekend for the whole team, but we’ll try to get through it and keep praying for Jules.”