Retiring numbers...

[Jarnooo]

I had this discussion somewhere else and didn't get many positive replies in my favour.

I believe that, much like in football, F1 should retire #17, in respect of Jules, who likely will never fully recover from his injuries.

I feel as though the argument that we should sooner think of retiring the numbers of drivers that died decades ago kind of irrelevant, purely because back then, drivers didn't choose their own numbers and therefore, it wouldn't have the same meaning.

What are your opinions?

[Gary]

no

[Zag]

If he had been a multiple world champion, maybe, just maybe, but he wasn't...

Retiring the number 17 wouldn't increase my respect for him or my sadness at his dreadful accident.

Football?  What's football...?   If you mean the 'game' with 22 men, most with the IQ of a potato, chasing an
inflated pigs bladder around for 90 minutes and governed by a regime 1000% more corrupt than ours in F1,
who cares what they do with 'their' numbers....

[Panda]

I would support the idea only after several years with this system. F1 rules change more often than newborn dippers… and for the same reason.

Anyway, I agree on this idea but only after "something" happen to "somebody". Yes, death is "something" but he got to race only 34 races and only 2 points in his F1 career. His F1 resume is too short, not worthy of a number retirement. Having said that, I doubt someone would dare to wear #17 for a while.

[Jarnooo]

I have a feeling if these rules were in place when Senna died, people would retired his number instantly. It's a shame that some driver's lives are more important than others to some people.

Anyway it does seem this is an unpopular opinion lol

[KoKiNa]

Would you retire forever number #1 if that driver dies ?? That is a nonsense for me.

If a mith number like #27 was not retired when Gilles died, then never this rule will have any sense.

At the end of the day it is only a number.

[zing]

Would you retire forever number #1 if that driver dies ?? That is a nonsense for me.

If a mith number like #27 was not retired when Gilles died, then never this rule will have any sense.

At the end of the day it is only a number.

Yes very true, .... and had they retired 27 - Jean Alesi would have never won his only GP - on his birthday - on a Circuit
named Gilles Villeneuve - driving #27 for Ferrari.

[Jarnooo]

But #27 has meaning to Ferrari, rather than Villeneuve. Gilles didn't pick the number. That's why I don't think it's relevant. The same way retiring #2 for Senna wouldn't make sense.

[zing]

Gilles was first to drive #27 for Ferrari in 1981.   I have no idea what you are trying to remove of significance....
and he died driving 27... it was him that created the entire legend of 27 ... you better learn some history if going to say it has no significance.. it's THE number in F1.

[Jarnooo]

Ok, sorry for my ignorance, but to retire #27 for Gilles NOW, after all the history that has been created since doesn't make sense to me. If you retire #17, you ensure the history associated with it stays with Jules.

[zing]

That's what Kokina was saying... if the "number of all numbers" in F1 was not retired - why would that be a good idea now in regard to Jules?

The story of Jules is a tragedy - it hurts to think about him ... may he recover somehow ....

[Panda]

I have a feeling if these rules were in place when Senna died, people would retired his number instantly. It's a shame that some driver's lives are more important than others to some people.

Anyway it does seem this is an unpopular opinion lol

I don’t know how many of you are familiar with the tradition of retiring number in sport. Here in North America applies mainly to MLB, NBA, NHL and NFL and this only happen after the honored has retired or died. And again, this person must have done something special, something outstanding for the sport he represents.

But is not the League who retires the number but the team. Only in exceptional cases is the League who decide, like Jackie Robinson’s #42 (MLB).

Even though the Formula 1 Championship is formed by teams, is unlikely to see more than one driver/car sporting the same number. So hypothetically to retire a number would be under FIA’s apporval (or FOM)

In any case you need time to create the cult for the number. Young baseball players wear a number because they feel admiration for that one who used to wear it. Sebastian Vettel admires Michael Schumacher and he dreamed to be like him one day. Having a tradition of numbers in place by that time he probably would be using Schumacher’s number today, whatever that number would been. But also I’m pretty sure that Schumacher’s number would be retired from F1 today... so we'd never know.

See, it is a nice thing to have something like this to honor former successful and/or exceptional drivers, but right now there is nothing. You may say that Formula 1 is global and the existing museums (Donington Park; Brooklands, Maranello, Macau, Indianapolis, etc.) are more than enough to honor these people. Fair, but I don’t think this would work for the retiring number issue. I think for this to happen, Formula 1 need first to have its own Museum or Hall of Fame, then we can start to think about what number should be retired from the grid. Otherwise doing it by office is meaningless.

I don't think it's a bad idea, I just think it's too soon

[Jarnooo]

Thanks for that Panda, I can really see where you're coming from. I guess it is too soon.

[Mekola]

The association with numbers is still fresh. We don't have much previous cases with number association, perhaps Red 5 with Mansell, or the aforementioned 27 with Gilles and Ferrari. Other cases could be number 26 with Jacques Laffite, or 16 with Tom Pryce.

For the moment, F1 is no place (yet) to retire numbers in respect for certain drivers.

[Jarnooo]

Well, it happened...

I have to say I think it is a great gesture. However, on further review, 17 was only his fourth choice. It kinda takes away from this, considering the number didn't mean much to him, but with all the #JB17 that has been around, it still carries a lot of meaning and memory of Jules.

[00521]

I just feel sick sickness over his death to this day.

I mean... avoidable,  a hellish accident.

He was a good one.

I don't know about retiring the number.

Eventually, in a decade, F-1 would have quite a few gaps in the 1-100 numerical system. In other sports, people rarely die whilst competing... perhaps that's the big difference.

Maybe yet another memorial fund for youthful kart drivers, or an FIA funded outreach in poor youth communities globally, or a mandatory retraining of all FIA certified track personnel?


Cordial Best,

00521

[F1 forever]

Eventually, in a decade, F-1 would have quite a few gaps in the 1-100 numerical system. In other sports, people rarely die whilst competing... perhaps that's the big difference.

Bianchi was the first F1 driver to to die as a result of an accident during a GP weekend since Senna 21 years ago.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Formula_One_fatalities

As a result of Bianchi's accident, F1 got safer yet again (virtual safety car etc.)...

With that being said, retiring a number...it has no meaning to me, personally, so I don't really care if it's done or not done.

[00521]

Yes, and of course, I was thinking about Maria de Villota... but she was a test driver. Yet another absurd accident.

It is the thought that counts.... how we remember them, so that they did not die in vain.

F-1 needs to do more than plaques...


Cordial Best,

00521