<div>The premature death of Jules Bianchi is a harsh reminder that Formula 1 is never safe despite the drastic improvements made in safety standards over the last two decades, feels former Grand Prix driver Narain Karthikeyan.<br /><br />Bianchi, 25, is the first Formula 1 driver to have been killed since the legendary Ayrton Senna was killed at the Imola circuit in 1994.<br /><br />"I got this terrible news a little while ago and it shows again that it can never bullet-proof in a racing car, even though safety standards have improved by leaps and bounds in the last two decades. <br /><br />Unfortunately, it didn't look good from day one in Jules' case," Karthikeyan, who is India's first F1 driver, told PTI today from Fuji, Japan, where he is competing in the Super Formula Championship.<br /><br />The Frenchman suffered fatal head injuries during the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka nine months ago, as he slid off the track and crashed into a crane picking up Adrian Sutil's car.<br /><br />Karthikeyan had made a F1 return in 2011 when the young Bianchi was pushing for a breakthrough.<br /><br />"He was a talented guy. He showed speed and promise in F3, GP2 and Formula Renault 3.5. He had the right people behind him. He could have achieved a lot.<br /><br />"In F1, we did not speak much. Whatever little we interacted was in the paddock or in the drivers' parade," he recalled.<br /><br />Karthikeyan got the sad news minutes before qualifying at Fuji. Does a tragedy like this affect a racer's mind?<br /><br />"Not really. We all have to be mentally very strong. As I said, you cannot be safe when you are doing speeds in excess of 300 kmph. You have just got to respect the reality of the sport," he added.<br /><br />Karun Chandhok, the other Indian to have reached F1, also tracked Bianchi's career. He too, like Karthikeyan, feels the sport has became a lot safer since the 'black weekend' at Imola and called Bianchi's accident as a 'freak one'.<br /><br />"His accident was a really unfortunate case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. At the end of the day, a few feet either side would have saved his life but sometimes the sport throws a cruel blow," he said.<br /><br />Was Bianchi just a victim of sheer bad luck and F1 otherwise is a lot safer than other forms of motorsport? "Yes absolutely," said Chandhok.<br /><br />He recalled Bianchi's early days in the racing world. "When I first met Jules when he was doing F3, it was clear from that stage that he had a lot of speed and also quite aggressive race craft. He wasn't perhaps as successful as I would have expected in GP2 but in F1, he did a very good job," said Chandhok referring to Bianchi getting Marussia's first points in F1 with a ninth place at Monaco last year.</div>
<div>The premature death of Jules Bianchi is a harsh reminder that Formula 1 is never safe despite the drastic improvements made in safety standards over the last two decades, feels former Grand Prix driver Narain Karthikeyan.<br /><br />Bianchi, 25, is the first Formula 1 driver to have been killed since the legendary Ayrton Senna was killed at the Imola circuit in 1994.<br /><br />"I got this terrible news a little while ago and it shows again that it can never bullet-proof in a racing car, even though safety standards have improved by leaps and bounds in the last two decades. <br /><br />Unfortunately, it didn't look good from day one in Jules' case," Karthikeyan, who is India's first F1 driver, told PTI today from Fuji, Japan, where he is competing in the Super Formula Championship.<br /><br />The Frenchman suffered fatal head injuries during the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka nine months ago, as he slid off the track and crashed into a crane picking up Adrian Sutil's car.<br /><br />Karthikeyan had made a F1 return in 2011 when the young Bianchi was pushing for a breakthrough.<br /><br />"He was a talented guy. He showed speed and promise in F3, GP2 and Formula Renault 3.5. He had the right people behind him. He could have achieved a lot.<br /><br />"In F1, we did not speak much. Whatever little we interacted was in the paddock or in the drivers' parade," he recalled.<br /><br />Karthikeyan got the sad news minutes before qualifying at Fuji. Does a tragedy like this affect a racer's mind?<br /><br />"Not really. We all have to be mentally very strong. As I said, you cannot be safe when you are doing speeds in excess of 300 kmph. You have just got to respect the reality of the sport," he added.<br /><br />Karun Chandhok, the other Indian to have reached F1, also tracked Bianchi's career. He too, like Karthikeyan, feels the sport has became a lot safer since the 'black weekend' at Imola and called Bianchi's accident as a 'freak one'.<br /><br />"His accident was a really unfortunate case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. At the end of the day, a few feet either side would have saved his life but sometimes the sport throws a cruel blow," he said.<br /><br />Was Bianchi just a victim of sheer bad luck and F1 otherwise is a lot safer than other forms of motorsport? "Yes absolutely," said Chandhok.<br /><br />He recalled Bianchi's early days in the racing world. "When I first met Jules when he was doing F3, it was clear from that stage that he had a lot of speed and also quite aggressive race craft. He wasn't perhaps as successful as I would have expected in GP2 but in F1, he did a very good job," said Chandhok referring to Bianchi getting Marussia's first points in F1 with a ninth place at Monaco last year.</div>