The one number F1 drivers are banned from choosing

Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Generic, HungarianGP, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

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The one number F1 drivers are banned from choosing

One driver number has been retired

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Saturday 16 August 2025 12:57 Updated: 16:31

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F1 drivers become inseparable from their driver numbers over the course of their career. Lewis Hamilton and 44. Max Verstappen and the number one.

However, there is one driver number that F1 stars cannot choose, with the number 17 retired following the death of Jules Bianchi.

The French racing driver competed in F1 from 2013 until 2014 with Marussia under the number 17, but lost his life after he collided with a recovery vehicle at the Japanese Grand Prix, passing away nine months later.

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Following Bianchi’s death, the number 17 was retired from F1 by the FIA out of respect for the racing driver.

Who was Jules Bianchi?

Jules Bianchi raced in F1 from 2013 until 2014

Bianchi was a French racing driver born in Nice, and was also the godfather of current F1 driver and Ferrari star Charles Leclerc.

During his early career, Bianchi became one of the first drivers to sign with the Ferrari Driver Academy, before earning his first full-time F1 drive at Marussia in 2013.

Bianchi’s best F1 finish was P9 at the 2014 Monaco GP, which earned him plaudits and congratulations from the F1 paddock.

The result was monumental for the Marussia team at the time, marking their first ever points finish in F1, and what would also be their last points ever in the sport.

Bianchi was placed into an induced coma after his accident at the Japanese GP later that year, and passed away nine months later in July 2015.

The FIA introduced safety reforms to F1, prompted by Bianchi’s death, and mandated the halo cockpit protection device which protects a driver’s head from sustaining serious trauma.

Furthermore, the virtual safety car was also introduced to F1 in 2015, slowing cars down to a controlled speed and reducing the risk of an accident in dangerous conditions.

Safety measures brought in after Bianchi’s passing have been credited with saving other drivers’ lives, from Romain Grosjean’s crash at the 2020 Bahrain GP and Zhou Guanyu’s Silverstone accident in 2022.

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