quoteThe FIA is to retire the number 17 from the list of those available for Formula 1 drivers as a mark of respect following the death of Jules Bianchi.
Following a nine-month battle for survival after sustaining severe injuries in a crash during the Japanese Grand Prix last October, Frenchman Bianchi passed away at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire in his home city of Nice on Friday.
A statement on the FIA website read: "Jean Todt, President of the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) announced 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."
Bianchi's funeral is to be held on Tuesday, with a service taking place at the Sainte Reparate Cathedral, Nice, from 10am.
Hard day yesterday. I saw a lot of sad pictures. His family and his friends /the F1 boys really suffered I don´t want to post them. I think who want to see them will find a way. Those pictures made me smile and cry to the same time.
quoteJules Bianchi suffered 254G impact in Suzuka crash
Nate Saunders, ESPN F1 Assistant Editor
New crash data from Jules Bianchi's accident at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix has revealed the Frenchman suffered an impact force of 254G and deceleration three times greater than initially thought.
Bianchi died on Friday as a result of the serious head injuries he sustained in Suzuka when he collided with a recovery vehicle. The FIA has released new findings from the crash on its new World Accident Database.
The Marussia's Accident Data Recorder (ADR) results, published exclusively by German publication Auto Motor Und Sport, say Bianchi lost control of his car in wet conditions at 213km/h and hit the crane just 2.61 seconds later, by which time he had decelerated to 126 km/h.
The findings also say the impact of the car itself against the crane was 58.8G. Bianchi hit the crane at an angle of 55 degrees, meaning the accident was worse than a usual crash of that force because the car was forced downwards as it went underneath the 6.8 tonne crane.
Initially data from Bianchi's ear plugs suggested his peak impact with the crane had been 92G. However, the FIA now believes Bianchi's ear plugs slipped at the crucial moment and that his peak impact was actually 254G.
By comparison, Fernando Alonso was knocked unconscious and suffered concussion after a 25G impact with a crash barrier during pre-season testing in February.
Vice president of the FIA's Safety Commission Andy Mellor told the German publication: "The problem was that the Marussia partly dipped below the stem of the crane, and was therefore pressed down from above by the underside of the crane. It worked like a brake, with an abrupt deceleration - and in this process there was contact between the helmet and the crane. We have never seen this before."
Safety Commission chief Peter Wright believes Bianchi's accident could not have been forseen by the FIA and says the governing body has studied the crash "to the smallest detail".
"It is still often the case some accidents must first occur in order to learn from it - Bianchi is the best example," said Wright. "This was a scenario we could not have previously imagined. That's why it was very important to really investigate this accident to the smallest detail. We have never invested so much time and effort in an analysis."
The FIA has already introduced safety measures in the wake of Bianchi's crash. On top of improved cockpit head protection for drivers, 2015 has seen the introduction of the Virtual Safety Car system to slow cars down to a delta speed for situations which do not require an actual safety car but may require a recovery vehicle on track.
In its initial findings, released in December, the FIA explained that a closed cockpit, one mooted safety measure in the wake of Bianchi's crash, would not have lessened the injuries sustained by the Frenchman because of the huge forces involved in the collision.
On this point, Wright added: "The car would have been stopped by the roof, and although the head would not have hit the crane, it would have hit the roof with the same result."