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THE world of motorsport has bid farewell to French Formula 1 driver Jules Bianchi at his funeral in his hometown of Nice. World champion Lewis Hamilton and many of Bianchi’s colleagues joined family and friends at a service in the city’s cathedral while fans gathered outside. The 25-year-old died on Friday from head injuries he sustained in a crash at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix.

His car number, 17, is being retired from F1 in his honour.

Bianchi had been in a coma since crashing his Marussia car into a recovery vehicle at a rain-hit race last October.

He is the first F1 driver to die from injuries sustained in a grand prix since Brazilian triple world champion Ayrton Senna was killed at the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994.

Tributes are expected to be paid at the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend.

A number of Formula 1 colleagues travelled to Nice to pay their respects yesterday. Large posters of Bianchi were draped outside the cathedral entrance.

Sebastian Vettel, the four-time world champion, and F1 Lotus driver and fellow Frenchman Romain Grosjean helped carry Bianchi’s coffin after the service.

Other drivers attending included Nico Rosberg, Felipe Massa and Olivier Panis.

The Eagles’ 1970s anthem Hotel California played in the background as the proceedings got underway earlier in Nice, according to AFP news agency.

The cathedral priest, Father Sylvain Brison Mourners, told the congregation that Bianchi was “a champion blessed with a rare talent”, and mourners applauded the late driver for several minutes.

The Marussia team, now known as Manor, said Bianchi had left an “indelible mark on all our lives”.

The accident happened when Bianchi’s car slid off the wet Suzuka track and into a crane picking up the Sauber of German driver Adrian Sutil, who had crashed at the same spot one lap earlier.

He suffered massive head injuries and was treated in intensive care in Japan before being transferred to a hospital in Nice in November.

The 25-year-old competed in 34 races during the 2013 and 2014 seasons, scoring the first-ever championship points for the Manor-Marussia team by finishing ninth at last year’s Monaco Grand Prix. — BBC