Why is number 17 banned in F1?
The number 17 was retired from formula one in his honour by the fia, who mandated the halo cockpit protection device in all open-wheel championships from 2018 onwards. As of the 2025 abu dhabi grand prix, bianchi remains the most recent fatality in the formula one world championship. 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 number 17 was retired from Formula One in his honour by the FIA, who mandated the halo cockpit protection device in all open-wheel championships from 2018 onwards. As of the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Bianchi remains the most recent fatality in the Formula One World Championship.Following the deaths of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna at Imola on consecutive days in 1994, no driver died during world championship events for more than 20 years until Jules Bianchi’s death in 2015, from injuries sustained during the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix.