Manor Marussia "devastated" by Jules Bianchi death

Manor Marussia has said that the team is "devastated" by the death of their former driver Jules Bianchi.

The Frenchman suffered fatal injuries during a crash at last year's Japanese Grand Prix and passed away after spending nine months in a coma.

Manor, who scored their first points in 2014 thanks to Bianchi's ninth place in Monaco, paid tribute to the driver, saying that it was a "privilege to have him race for our team".

We are devastated to lose Jules after such a hard-fought battle. It was a privilege to have him race for our team. https://t.co/USrDQbG7fZ

— Manor F1 Team (@ManorF1Team) July 18, 2015

Manor chose Bianchi to drive for their Formula 1 team in 2013 after he impressed as part of Ferrari's driver academy.