Such a fine young man taken so tragically, foremost from his family, but then from a supportive F1 community of drivers, teams, and fans.
Just as in families, it is often a death that can unite, far more than a marriage. People reflect, harsh words are forgotten, quiet smiles of understanding replace the rigid lips of personal barriers. Small positive steps are taken for the future, walking with grace down a path opened by the dead.
May it be so for F1. The bickering, the ever-shortening lifespan of drivers and senior team members (or indeed of teams in some instances), the grumbles of well -eaning fans, these are not a path we should be walking. All have given this season a bittersweet taste of unfulfilled promise. Each new interaction a twitch of irritation where harsh words are spoken too soon, and forgiveness is a forgotten commodity.
The so tragic, too soon (by decades) loss of Jules has opened the path for a warming of hearts, a respectful meeting of minds, and an honest discussion about a useful way forward for the sport, if only all those F1 family members can let a hint of compassion and companionship creep softly into their souls. This tragic loss could lead to a sweetness that lingers for years if the F1 family will let it do so. We need a few brave leading F1 family members to take those first steps down the path, and have the others follow.
Isaac Newton so keenly noted, "If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants". While Jules will not live to be a giant of the sport, that does not stop him being the giant that grants strength and strong shoulders to stand on for others to drive a vision of a greater path into the future. That would be a great and fitting memorial for a man that by all accounts embodied all that is fine in a great sportsman, and, even, more importantly, in a fine human being.
When Bernie finally slips off this mortal coil (assuming any other humans are still around to note his passing), it will be with quiet reflection on a life lived at full throttle from which he extracted 100% from every path presented to him. Sad, not tragic. When a beautiful young life is taken so brutally early, so unexpectedly, that is tragic. Bernie has already built a legacy, we do not need to wring our hands over his memorial. For Jules we need to make that effort.
Too many have walked before him to an abrupt tragic end. Aryton, Roland, and before them Gilles. Then so many others that I'm sure Stirling and Jackie only have to close their eyes to have them standing in the room before them. Each left a mark so heavy on their families, and of course on the wider community. But this was a community standing in the shadow of World War Two, all around so many deaths that nations were still numb. Our sensibilities have matured, and we now recognize each family's loss as a tragic event that should be respected, and where possible used to shape a brighter future for all.
We fans can only stand and wish the powers in F1 well, as they head down another path of possible self-interest over common good. Yet, if, if, we can deflect them just a millimetre towards common good on the shoulders of Jules, then a fitting legacy is taking shape.
In Australia the leading cause of death for those aged 15 to 44 years is suicide. Think on that for a moment, the figures are similar in all developed countries. We have made all walks of life so safe, yet made hope for a bright future so hard, that more young people are killing themselves by their own hand than any other malady. In this, the non-world war current environment, Jules was a model of a great young man. Respected, hard-working, positive, and capable. A beacon to others of what a young life can achieve when talent and opportunity meet and mix well.
So now, as we did for poor Ayrton, we do not glory in the horror of death, rather we respect it, we rightly honour the dead, and we use the energy it creates in us for good. For safety in the sport. For respect among key players and for each other. For lasting and fitting tributes to great people returned to their maker so tragically soon.
We are not forgetting those lost to families every day around the World. Rather we are symbolizing all young loss with this particular loss. Jules can symbolize hope for all those facing a battle as a young person trying to make it in the world, and as a call to support for those of us over 44 years of age. What a tribute, and fine legacy if we remember Jules by going that extra yard for our young people. Be it safety in motor sport, be it polite support in a social or family environment, or be it as part of our job, where for one young person on this day, we remember Jules and support them in some way that aids the living by respecting the dead.
Jules paid the ultimate price for his commitment and passion. Now it is a burden on us all to make it worth the cost.
Jules we celebrate your life, respect and honour your passing, and now we can choose to work to give you a lasting living tribute worthy of you and your family. Thank you for opening this path; may we and all those in F1 find the strength to walk it.
Max Noble.
Learn more about Max and check out his previous features, here
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