One of the best ways to identify a driver mid-race is by looking at the number etched to their car. While they aren’t iron clad, they usually become a part of their identity, with some — such as Lewis Hamilton — even going as far as building a brand out of them.
Gone are the days of the drivers being forced to use numbers based on the standings in the previous season. Now, they can choose just about anything they want, barring some, including the number 17.
It sounds like a rather odd number to ban, but the number sadly became associated with one of the biggest tragedies in F1 history, which compelled F1 to retire it forever.
#17 belonged to Jules Bianchi, a much-loved member of the paddock who lost his life to a crash almost a decade ago.
It was a rainy afternoon in Suzuka in 2014, but the Japanese GP still went ahead. However, treacherous conditions took a massive hit on visibility. After Adrian Sutil’s car spun out, double yellow flags were being waved near the Dunlop Curve, but Bianchi did not slow down, presumably because he didn’t see them.
He lost control and rather shockingly crashed into a recovery crane that was coming on track to recover Sutil’s car. Bianchi suffered injuries to his head and spine and spent around nine months in the hospital before passing away.
Forever with us. Jules Bianchi.
3 August 1989 – 17 July 2015 pic.twitter.com/NEwQ24cNhg
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 17, 2021
It shook the F1 community to its core—including budding drivers like Charles Leclerc, who was Bianchi’s godson—especially with it being the first fatal crash in the sport since the 1994 Imola GP where Ayrton Senna lost his life.
F1 decided to retire the #17 forever out of respect and remembrance for Bianchi.
The other restricted numbers in F1
17 is the only number unavailable for drivers to choose between 2-99. But what about #1? We see Max Verstappen sporting it proudly week in and week out.
However, not anyone can pick it. The #1 is exclusive to world champions and can only be used while they are the reigning title holder.
If Verstappen loses the Drivers’ Championship in 2025, he will have to stop using it and it would become available to his successor. But the new champion isn’t required to take it.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton, for instance, has always used #44. Despite his trophy-laden career, he never switched to #1. “It’s always good to be different,” he said in an older interview, justifying why he never changed his number.
The #44 has become part of his identity and is arguably the most recognizable number on the grid. However, it won’t remain exclusive to him forever.
F1 reserves a driver’s number for two years after retirement, but after that, it becomes available again. So, a future driver could one day claim #44.
