FIA TO RETIRE CAR NUMBER 17 FROM THE FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Jean Todt, President of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) announced that the car number 17 will be retired from the FIA Formula One World Championship in honour of Jules Bianchi.
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.
As a result, this number can no longer be used for a car competing in the FIA Formula One World Championship.
FIA AND MOTOR SPORT COMMUNITY GRIEVING FOR BIANCHI
The world of motor sport is in mourning today, after the tragic passing of Jules Bianchi overnight.
The sport has lost one of the most talented drivers of this generation, from a family that has such a strong presence in the history of the sport.
Jules Bianchi was a popular personality in F1, possessing the best of both human and sporting qualities.
The FIA recognises the courage with which he conducted his last fight, in the company of his loving family.
Jean Todt , FIA President, expressed his deepest condolences to Jules’ family and recognised the great pain being felt by the Bianchi Family and those close to them. The motor sport community offers their most sincere support through this terrible ordeal.
Jules Bianchi family statement:
“It is with deep sadness that the parents of Jules Bianchi, Philippe and Christine, his brother Tom and sister Mélanie, wish to make it known that Jules passed away last night at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) in Nice, (France) where he was admitted following the accident of 5th October 2014 at Suzuka Circuit during the Japanese Formula 1 Grand Prix.
“Jules fought right to the very end, as he always did, but today his battle came to an end,” said the Bianchi family. “The pain we feel is immense and indescribable. We wish to thank the medical staff at Nice’s CHU who looked after him with love and dedication. We also thank the staff of the General Medical Center in the Mie Prefecture (Japan) who looked after Jules immediately after the accident, as well as all the other doctors who have been involved with his care over the past months.
“Furthermore, we thank Jules’ colleagues, friends, fans and everyone who has demonstrated their affection for him over these past months, which gave us great strength and helped us deal with such difficult times. Listening to and reading the many messages made us realise just how much Jules had touched the hearts and minds of so many people all over the world.
“We would like to ask that our privacy is respected during this difficult time, while we try to come to terms with the loss of Jules.”
The family of Jules Bianchi have announced that his funeral will take place in his hometown of Nice on July 21.
The Japan Grand Prix October 5, 2014
The FIA’s post-race statement:
“On lap 42, Adrian Sutil lost control of his car, spun and hit the tyre barrier on the outside of Turn 7. The marshals displayed double waved yellow flags before the corner to warn drivers of the incident. A recovery vehicle was dispatched in order to lift the car and take it to a place of safety behind the guard rail. While this was being done the driver of car 17, Jules Bianchi, lost control of his car, travelled across the run-off area and hit the back of the tractor.
“Once the marshals reported that the driver was injured, medical teams were dispatched and the safety car was deployed. These were followed by an extrication team and an ambulance. The driver was removed from the car, taken to the circuit medical centre and then by ambulance to Mie General Hospital.
Like everyone in the Motosport community VelocityMotorsportsNews.com extends our condolences to the family & friends of Jules Bianchi.