F1: Manor braces for emotional weekend in Japan

Manor returns to the scene of Jules Bianchi's life-ending crash at this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix expecting one of the most emotionally difficult races of its time in Formula 1.

Bianchi was involved in a horrific accident during the Suzuka F1 race on Oct. 5 last year, when driving for the then-Marussia team, and died on July 17 after a nine-month fight for survival. Almost a year on from the incident, the thoughts of everyone connected with F1 – and particularly all involved with Manor – will again turn to Bianchi.

Speaking to AUTOSPORT, sporting director Graeme Lowdon said: "Jules is never far away from our thoughts. We're now going to Japan, and we have to go there as a team and conduct our business in a professional way, and we have to be strong.

"A lot of the guys currently in our team were there last year, so we know it's going to be difficult, but equally we know Jules was a racer and would want to see the team focus on the job of racing. But I'd be lying if I said there won't be difficult moments because there definitely will be, no two ways about it."

The team has yet to decide on how best to honor Bianchi's memory. Through the Monaco Grand Prix weekend every team member wore a red wristband that carried the words "MONACO 2014. P8. #JB17." That was in recognition of Bianchi securing the team's first, and still only, points finish in F1 in Monte Carlo last year.

Lowdon, who wears the wristband every day as a reminder, added: "Monaco was obviously difficult, but this [weekend] will be even more so. At least with Monaco we had so many happy memories.

"Monaco, though, turned out to be very emotional, more so than I perhaps realized. I'd been to visit Jules a week or so beforehand, and going to Monaco I'd had positive thoughts positioned in my mind.

"I'd been in to see him, talk to him, told him we were going back, and I thought Monaco would be poignant, but not too difficult. In the end I found it incredibly difficult, and that was a race where we had all the good memories.

"But, equally, what I learned from that is that you don't really know how you are going to feel until you are there, and it will be that way for this weekend."

Originally on Autosport.com