Jules Bianchi would have been in contention for the Ferrari seat prior to his untimely death, according to ex- Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemelo. The Frenchan was a member of Scuderia Ferrari development programme since 2009 and at the same time he races at Manor Marussia F1 Team.

He has been in coma as a result of serious head injuries which he sustained in the accident at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix. Unfortunately, after 9 months of being in comatose, Bianchi finally succumbed to death on the fateful day of July 17, 2015, according to the Guardian.

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He was laid at the Sainte Reparate Cathedral in Nice City, where his family resides. They were joined by hundreds of mourners, as well as many figures from Formula One and other disciplines of motorsports, including Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, Nico Rosberg, Daniel Ricciardo, Daniil Kvyat, and Formula E Jean Eric Vergne. Bianchi's Marussia team were also present, including Graeme Lowdon, John Booth and his 2014 teammate Max Chilton.

Bianchi was being groomed by Ferrari to be their future official driver, where he had the chance to test with a team on a handful of occasions in the past few years. He was also summoned to step in to replace Kimi Raikkonen in the last year's post British Grand Prix test and duly did an impressive job at Silverstone. In his second season with the backmarkers Marussia, he managed to give the team their first point in their Formula One career where they finished in 9th place at Monaco earning 2 points.

Indeed, the Frenchman was highly regarded amidst the Scuderia Ferrari, that he was being tipped to secure an eventual race seat with Ferrari. Likely, as Kimi Raikkonen's replacement in 2016 where the Finn's deal would expire.

"We had chosen him for the future, once the the collaboration with Raikkonen was over, di Montezemelo, who was ousted as Ferrari president in September." told Sky Sport Italia.

He was a member of the Ferrari family and a first class driver, who was fast, polite, promising and very attached to the company. Unfortunately, his loss left a huge void in Formula One. On Monday, the FIA announced that #17 as Bianchi's racing number would be retired as a sign of respect.

TagsJules Bianchi, Manor Maurssia, Formula One, Japanese Grand Prix