Chilton: “Bianchi's death affected me. Impossible for me to look at the images”

We left him in October 2014 as an F1 driver on foot from a Marussia devoured by debt and not only that, we find him today fresh from his contract with Chip ganassi to compete in the IndyCar championship behind the wheel of Chevrolet #8, until yesterday in the hands of Sage Karam and Sebastian Saavedra.

Max Chilton is now ready to immerse himself in the new adventure that will start in March on the St. Petersburg circuit.

“It's a big change that I've had to face but in recent years I've learned that you can't plan anything in life. Like 99% of the other kids I dreamed of the Circus and I didn't care much about this category. Now I'm here, so the saying "never say never" is really true. However, I can consider myself lucky. I had a taste of it and I had an extraordinary time” – the words of the Englishman to the Sun.

“Unfortunately what happened to Bianchi ended everything tragically and suddenly. That day (5/10) it could have happened to me too given that during the previous lap in a corner I was losing control of the car due to poor downforce – he confided – The disappearance of Jules It really affected me deeply. I never even got to look at the pictures of the accident! Being my teammate I considered him the number one opponent, in reality in two seasons he taught me a lot. He was a talented young man and I am sure that he would have had a great career."

“The strange thing is that when the news of his death arrived (17/7/2015) I won the race in Iowa, just in my second appearance in Indy Lights – the 25-year-old's story – Subsequently at Laguna Seca I won the pole, breaking the lap time record that had stood for 17 years. Two results that were encouraging me to stay in America, but then the incredible fatality struck in Pocono Justin Wilson it cracked my belief.”

“At that point I thought about it and finally decided to continue. I was reminded of the Silverstone episode in my last world championship in the top series. During the GP the wheel of Raikkonen's Ferrari had missed me by just a few centimetres. If it had been my time there would have been no escape for me..." – the sad conclusion.

Chiara Rainis