Jules Bianchi was being lined up by Ferrari as the man to replace Kimi Raikkonen before the Frenchman’s crash in Japan last October, according to the team’s former chairman Luca di Montezemolo.

Bianchi, 25, who died in hospital in Nice on Friday nine months after his shocking accident and without regaining consciousness, had come through Ferrari’s driver academy and maintained close ties with Maranello.

Bianchi’s funeral will be held in Nice’s Sainte Reparate Cathedral today.

“Jules was one of us,” Montezemolo told Sky Sports Italia.

“He was part of the Ferrari family and the driver we had chosen for the future, once the collaboration with Raikkonen was finished.”

Raikkonen returned to the Italian team for the 2014 season on a two-year contract that expires at the end of this year.

Former Ferrari principal Stefano Domenicali said the team had had big plans for Bianchi, who joined Ferrari’s academy in 2009 and was a test driver for the team.

“Jules was always at Maranello,” said the Italian.

“Every day he came to the factory to grow and nurture his dream of driving for Ferrari.

“Our idea was that, after Marussia, he should go to another team to grow and be ready for the big leap. That is what we planned some years ago. But unfortunately fate took him away.”

It was also revealed yesterday that Bianchi’s racing number 17 has been retired from use in Formula One.

“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,” the FIA said.

“As a result, this number can no longer be used for a car competing in the FIA Formula One World Championship.”