FIA to retire car number 17 following Jules Bianchi's passing

[Jack Hunsley]

The FIA have announced that car number 17, which Jules Bianchi raced with during the 2014 Formula One season, is to be retired for all future Formula One seasons.

The young Frenchman, who succumbed to injuries in the early hours on Saturday morning that he sustained in a horrific crash at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix, competed in 15 Grand Prix sporting the number 17, including his memorable 9th placed points finish in Monaco.

A statement from Jean Todt and the FIA read that, "as F1 car numbers are now personally chosen by each driver, the FIA believes it to be an appropriate gesture to retire Jules Bianchi's number 17." This marks the first time in the sport's history that a car number has been retired from use.

Meanwhile, shortly before the FIA's announcement, Luca di Montezemolo revealed that Bianchi had been earmarked for a future Ferrari drive. The former Ferrari team principle was quoted as saying that "Bianchi was one of us, he was a member of the Ferrari family and was the racing driver we had chosen for the future, once the collaboration with Kimi Raikkonen had come to an end."

Bianchi will laid to rest in his hometown of Nice on Tuesday.

 

[CC]

That is very nice to hear!

 

[Dazmaniac]

Nice touch by the FIA, although #17 wasn't actually Bianchi's preferred choice.

He only took #17 as #7, #27 and #77 (his 3 preferred choices) were already taken.

 

[the_sigman]

Nice touch by the FIA, although #17 wasn't actually Bianchi's preferred choice.

He only took #17 as #7, #27 and #77 (his 3 preferred choices) were already taken.

#17 is the number everyone associates with Jules though

 

[Ole Marius Myrvold]

#17 is the number everyone associates with Jules though

Well, die hard fans, yes.

But in terms of numbers... No. It is not any Roosi46, Earnhardt Sr 3, Gordon 24, Mansell 5 (for some reason that I still haven't quite understood), Villeneuve 27.
He also never used the number actively, nothing like Bo77as.

So I don't agree with the retirement of the number, and what if Charles LeClerc ends up in F1. He got his first karting drive at the Bianchi's kart track, he was Jules' protegè. If he goes to F1, he might want to honour Bianchi in some way, but he cannot use his number, as that is retired.

 

[the_sigman]

Well, die hard fans, yes.

But in terms of numbers... No. It is not any Roosi46, Earnhardt Sr 3, Gordon 24, Mansell 5 (for some reason that I still haven't quite understood), Villeneuve 27.
He also never used the number actively, nothing like Bo77as.

I agree, but for example Marussia all year long have had #JB17, which pretty much indicates that 17 will always be considered as Bianchi's number, that's what I meant

I agree with number retirement. Imagine someone else using the legendary 46 in MotoGP. It would be sacrilege And Earnharndt's number returned after 13 years, but in the same team-color scheme. Don't forget that in NASCAR numbers are given to teams, not drivers.

Mansell and Villeneuve got their numbers by luck (it was the period that teams were swapping numbers when they won a championship. Williams and Ferrari were in a drought of championships so they didn't change numbers for some years).

Btw, I haven't understood two things for the 27. Why is it considered as Gilles' number? He won his first races and challenged for the championship for the only time (so he had his most success) in #12. And why do Tifosi's like it? The last driver to have won a championship with it was Alan Jones in 1980, and Ferrari had it in 1981-1995 (yes, the black era for Ferrari with the championship drought)

 

[Ole Marius Myrvold]

I know why the different drivers had their numbers - (like Teams in NASCAR, the old way of giving numbers in F1 etc.). But my point is, that even with #JB17, it haven't semented Jules Bianchi as the driver of number 17.

There is very few that automatically thinks 17 if they hear Jules Bianchi, and there is very few that think about Bianchi when they hear number 17.

I think it is unecessary to retire the number, there wouldn't been anyone using it for quite some years anyway, and it removes any chance for anyone to honor him by using it (Charles LeClerc).

Also, it wasn't any of his three choices, it's not like the 17 was important to him either. Or anyone around.
It is a very empty gesture.

 

[LacSlyer]

It is a very empty gesture.

This is nonsense. Just because it's not the number he initially wanted doesn't mean it's an empty gesture for the FIA to retire the number he actually used.

 

[CC]

This is nonsense. Just because it's not the number he initially wanted doesn't mean it's an empty gesture for the FIA to retire the number he actually used.

Just feels wrong arguing about it , he used 17 so they retired 17 out of respect for the driver , they can not go and retire half the numbers , some people are unreal lol

 

[Ole Marius Myrvold]

This is nonsense. Just because it's not the number he initially wanted doesn't mean it's an empty gesture for the FIA to retire the number he actually used.

It is an empty gesture, for all of the reasons I listed in my post. He had it for a fair bit under a year, he never embraced it, he was never looked at as the driver of "the 17 car". We are way to early in the driver-"owned" numbers to be there.

And instead of looking at why there was no SC, or more importantly, how they never threw the red flag as Suzuka as all the rules and regulations force them to do so when they now a heli-med.evac cannot be used. They go and lies most of the blame on the accident on Bianchi, then retires the number as a 'memory' of him.

There is nothing that points to Bianchi and 17, nothing except that was the number he was given, and used for less than a year in his motorsport career.

I have no problems with numbers being retired - I actually still don't enjoy seeing Dillon in the #3 in the Cup, and I feel like that number shouldn't be used by anyone outside the Earnhardt family. But that is because Dale Sr and #3 kinda stick with each other. Bianchi and 17 doesn't do that. And no matter how hard the FIA tries, it will most likely not be that way either.

 

[LacSlyer]

It is an empty gesture, for all of the reasons I listed in my post. He had it for a fair bit under a year, he never embraced it, he was never looked at as the driver of "the 17 car". We are way to early in the driver-"owned" numbers to be there.

And instead of looking at why there was no SC, or more importantly, how they never threw the red flag as Suzuka as all the rules and regulations force them to do so when they now a heli-med.evac cannot be used. They go and lies most of the blame on the accident on Bianchi, then retires the number as a 'memory' of him.

There is nothing that points to Bianchi and 17, nothing except that was the number he was given, and used for less than a year in his motorsport career.

I have no problems with numbers being retired - I actually still don't enjoy seeing Dillon in the #3 in the Cup, and I feel like that number shouldn't be used by anyone outside the Earnhardt family. But that is because Dale Sr and #3 kinda stick with each other. Bianchi and 17 doesn't do that. And no matter how hard the FIA tries, it will most likely not be that way either.

Yet this is the only requirement for retiring a number. Should they retire #7 and force Raikkonen to use another number? Or not, because he's the more senior driver? Your point that they shouldn't retire his number because it's not his number is fallacious because it obviously was the number he used whether he wanted it or not.

 

[Ole Marius Myrvold]

Yet this is the only requirement for retiring a number. Should they retire #7 and force Raikkonen to use another number? Or not, because he's the more senior driver? Your point that they shouldn't retire his number because it's not his number is fallacious because it obviously was the number he used whether he wanted it or not.

I'm sorry, but where did I even write, or imply anything like the first half of your post suggest?
Also, you cannot grab one and a half line of text, out of 12-13 and ignore the rest.

My point have been, and still is, that he was in an accident, that after 9 months ended fatal, while driving a car with number 17 on. But that's it. The number never seemed important, it was never made as a big deal.

To actually do something about what happened, to actually do something about those who straight out, blatantly disregarded all safety standards. That would be something to show some honor on this, to show that they (FIA) actually care. The retirement of the number - while blaming Bianchi for everything,- and effectively robbing his protegè the chance to use the same number is he so wish, is nothing more than PR.

 

[LacSlyer]

I'm sorry, but where did I even write, or imply anything like the first half of your post suggest?
Also, you cannot grab one and a half line of text, out of 12-13 and ignore the rest.

My point have been, and still is, that he was in an accident, that after 9 months ended fatal, while driving a car with number 17 on. But that's it. The number never seemed important, it was never made as a big deal.

To actually do something about what happened, to actually do something about those who straight out, blatantly disregarded all safety standards. That would be something to show some honor on this, to show that they (FIA) actually care. The retirement of the number - while blaming Bianchi for everything,- and effectively robbing his protegè the chance to use the same number is he so wish, is nothing more than PR.

I ignored part of your reply because it wasn't relevant to my initial reply. Because you still used the argument of it not being a number he wanted as though that's valid reasoning enough.

If you want to use their lack of action in assuring that an incident like this doesn't happen again then use it, and don't tack on the silliness of the fact that he didn't want the number. That's more than valid reasoning for your argument, and I actually somewhat agree with it. Though I disagree with the severity of how poorly it was handled.

This whole assumption that they blame Bianchi for everything, which I don't agree with at all unless I'm just misinformed (yet I don't believe to be considering I've read the rulings of their investigation of the incident), is where you lose me.

As for the protege comment, I could care less if someone wants to come along and take advantage of his number solely for their own PR purposes and nothing more, which it always is. And of course the FIA is doing this for PR purposes, they just lost a driver in the era of motorsport where it's practically unheard of because of safety regulations. But like I initially said, the argument that they shouldn't retire it because it's not the number he wanted is ridiculous.

 

[Darth]

What matters is that they retired the number because something very massive happened.
A man died in F1, because of an on track accident, after 20 years.
It was the right gesture, both towards Bianchi and as reminder that in f1 human lives
are valuable and such incidents are not taken lightly.

 

[Reik Major]

Oh dear, what a discussion about a (in my eyes) very nice gesture...

 

[Terry Rock]

Why is this decision cause for any type of argument?
Jules used #17.
He essentially died in a car listed with #17.
Debating what number he would have chosen is irrelevant.
The number is now retired.
Arguing this non-issue... on the very day they're putting him into the ground, is a bit disrespectful.
Move pass this.

 

[Celtic Pharaoh]

This is a great gesture. I only wish the FIA took action about altering F1 before a fatal accident happens.

I hope the Bianchi family can find peace and comfort.

Rest in peace, Jules Bianchi.

 

[Philip Heck]

There's nothing to alter, except maybe use a different kind of crane.

Great gesture by the FIA.

 

[Dazmaniac]

#17 is the number everyone associates with Jules though

I didn't say it wasn't, I was just pointing out it wasn't his preferred choice.

 

[rakito]

is false attitude of the FIA, there is a great gesture. FIA did this because she feels guilty about the accident (had to have put the safety car).
it is an attitude taken to believe that the most ignorant people. The FIA do not care, they just want to look good. FIA stinks.
rest in peace Jules (honestly)