Bianchi passed away on Friday night, nine months after suffering serious head injuries in a crash at the Japanese Grand Prix.
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Jules Bianchi will be laid to rest in his hometown of Nice on Tuesday.
“We are incredibly grateful that we were able to provide Jules with the opportunity to show the world what he could do in a Formula One auto”.
In light of this, the FIA thought it appropriate to retire Bianchi’s number for good.
Bianchi joined Marussia in 2013 and competed in 34 grands prix, notching two world championship points – still the team’s best result. It’s a boost for everyone in the team and we are moving in a good direction for the second half of the season.
Current F1 drivers, many in the French motor racing world, and fans immediately began posting tributes and sympathy on social media. Eventually, Bianchi was taken home to Nice and was being treated at a hospital there, however, he was still in a coma from the accident.
Bianchi was the first race vehicle driver to die from the injuries he sustained at an accident in a Grand Prix event after Ayrton Senna in 1994.
The team principal at Manor, formerly Marussia, Graeme Lowdon says his team is particularly devastated by the death of the Frenchman.
He then spent the next nine months in a coma, before eventually succumbing to his injuries.
Jules Bianchi ‘s racing number, 17, is to be retired in his honour, the sport’s governing body have announced.
Scuderia Ferrari have bought Raikkonen’s compatriot Valtteri Bottas, who now drives for Williams alongside Brazilian driver Felipe Massa, in a deal rumoured to be worth $13mn.
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Di Montezemolo, who was replaced by Sergio Marchionne shortly before Bianchi’s accident past year, told Sky Italia: “Jules was one of us; part of the Ferrari family“. He became the first F1 recruit of the Ferrari Driver Academy and was confirmed as the team’s test and reserve driver for the 2011 season. Nothing will bring the Frenchman back, but hopefully the FIA and all race organizers have learned a valuable lesson from the Suzuka crash.
