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In Formula One, each car is numbered. Since the inaugural Formula One World Championship in 1950, several numbering systems have been used. This list covers the numbers used by drivers since the start of the 2014 Formula One season, when drivers have been allowed to choose a number that they would carry throughout their career.[1]
From 1950 to 1973, driver numbers were allocated by the organisers of each event, with no consistent method deployed across events.[2] In 1974 a consistent race-to-race numbering system was first implemented in Formula One, based on the 1973 Constructors' Championship results. These assigned numbers were supposed to stay with their teams as long as they were part of Formula 1 or until they ran the reigning World Drivers' Champion, in which case they would swap numbers with the team previously running numbers 1 and 2. In the event of the drivers' champion not returning, no swap would take place, and number 0 would be used instead of 1 – this only occurred in 1993 and 1994 with Damon Hill. A little over two decades later, in 1995, the system was changed again. The numbers would change every year, as the previous season's Constructors' Championship standings would be used to determine the order from numbers 3 and 4 downwards, with the team of the World Drivers' Champion still getting numbers 1 and 2. In 2014, it was decided to introduce the current system, where each driver gets to choose a permanent number.[3]
Drivers were initially allowed to choose any number from 0 through 99, with the exclusion of 1 which is reserved for the World Drivers' Champion. The number 17 was retired in 2015 as a mark of respect to Jules Bianchi, who suffered a fatal crash at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix while carrying the number.[4]
A permanent number can only be reallocated if the driver associated with that number has not participated in a race for two entire consecutive seasons;[5] for example, a driver picking their number for 2024 can not choose numbers which were last used in 2022 or 2023, unless the number was issued temporarily by the FIA. For instance, Jenson Button's number 22 would have been available for re-allocation in 2019 after his departure from full-time racing in 2016, but an appearance in the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix replacing Fernando Alonso (who was participating in the 2017 Indianapolis 500 on that weekend instead), meant that his number could not be reassigned until 2020 at the earliest. Yuki Tsunoda subsequently picked that number (22) for the 2021 Formula One World Championship.
Formula One driver numbers
editThe following lists all Formula One driver numbers which were claimed as permanent career numbers since the 2014 season.
Temporary numbers
editThe FIA have also issued temporary numbers to drivers that are exceptions to the career numbers rule; for example, if a driver withdraws from a race and a reserve driver takes their place, they receive a team-allocated number. This is also the case for free-practice–only drivers. Some examples of those numbers are 36 (used by Antonio Giovinazzi in two races), 38 (used by Oliver Bearman in one race), 39 (used by Brendon Hartley in one race), 40 (used by Paul di Resta in one race and Liam Lawson in five), 45 (used by André Lotterer and Nyck de Vries in one race each), 46 (used by Will Stevens in one race), 47 (used by Stoffel Vandoorne in one race), 50 (used by Oliver Bearman in two races) and 51 (used by Pietro Fittipaldi in two races). The number 42 was entered twice for Alexander Rossi in 2014, but not for the main Grand Prix races: once for a practice session during the Belgian Grand Prix where he was supposed to replace Max Chilton before his team (Marussia) made a u-turn and reinstated Chilton; and once for the 2014 Russian Grand Prix as substitute for the then-gravely injured Jules Bianchi, but his team ultimately chose not to run a second car alongside Chilton.
Drivers using car number 1
editThe number 1 is reserved for the previous year's World Drivers' Champion, although it is not mandatory for the driver to run the number. The first driver to exercise the right to run the number 1 under the new regulations was Sebastian Vettel in 2014. The number then went unused for seven seasons, with Lewis Hamilton keeping his permanent number 44 after his title wins in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, and Nico Rosberg retiring after his championship win in 2016. Despite Hamilton not using it full-time, he received permission to display the number 1 on the nose of his car during Friday practice at the 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. However, his car was officially entered under his usual number 44, which remained visible on the engine cover.[22] Max Verstappen has used number 1 since 2022, after his titles in 2021, 2022 and 2023.[23]
| Driver | Team | First used |
Last used |
|---|---|---|---|
 Sebastian Vettel
|
 Red Bull Racing
|
2014 | 2014 |
 Max Verstappen
|
Red Bull Racing
|
2022 | 2024 |
| [citation needed] | |||
Notes
edit- ^ a b Max Verstappen exercised his right to use number 1 as the reigning world champion in 2022–2024.
- ^ Vandoorne used number 47 while substituting for another driver in 2016.
- ^ Vettel used number 1 when he was reigning World Champion in 2014.
- ^ Mazepin is Russian, but he competed as a neutral competitor using the designation RAF (Russian Automobile Federation), as the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld a ban on Russia competing at World Championships. The ban was implemented by the World Anti-Doping Agency in response to state-sponsored doping program of Russian athletes.[6]
- ^ The number 17 was retired by the FIA following Bianchi's death in 2015.[7]
- ^ De Vries used number 45 while substituting for another driver in 2022.
- ^ Stevens used number 46 while substituting for another driver in 2014.
- ^ Hartley used number 39 while substituting for another driver in 2017.
- ^ Lawson used number 40 while substituting for another driver in 2023.
- ^ Rossi used number 42 while substituting for other drivers in 2014.
- ^ Giovinazzi used number 36 while substituting for another driver in 2017.
References
edit- ^ Sam Tremayne. "Formula 1 drivers to get permanent numbers from 2014". Autosport.com. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
- ^ Killick, Ellie (8 March 2023). "The Evolution of F1 Driver Numbers: A Look Back Through History". It's All Sport To Me. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
- ^ "A look at the history of numbers in Formula 1". Squad Numbers. 7 November 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
- ^ Parkes, Ian (20 July 2015). "The FIA will retire Jules Bianchi's number 17 from Formula 1". Autosport. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
- ^ "2022 Formula One Sporting Regulations" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 29 April 2022. p. 8. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 April 2022.
- ^ Luke Smith (5 February 2021). "Mazepin set to race under neutral flag after CAS ruling extends to F1". motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
- ^ "Number 17 to be retired in Bianchi's honour". Formula One World Championship Limited. 20 July 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
- ^ "F1 2014: The reasons behind the numbers". GP Update. 8 February 2014. Archived from the original on 27 September 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
- ^ Tremayne, Sam (9 December 2013). "Formula 1 drivers to get permanent numbers from 2014". Motorsport. Motorsport.com. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
- ^ "2015 F1 driver numbers". Crash.net. 12 January 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
- ^ "2021 and 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship Entry Lists". fia.com. 7 December 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
- ^ Sainz ruled out of Saudi Arabian GP with appendicitis as F2 racer Bearman steps up to replace him Archived 2024-03-14 at the Wayback Machine.Formula 1.2024-03-08.[2024-03-08].
- ^ "Brendon Hartley to race with us in Austin". scuderiatororosso.com. Scuderia Toro Rosso. 13 October 2017. Archived from the original on 13 October 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
- ^ "Decision - driver change Scuderia AlphaTauri (Corrected)" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
- ^ "FIA Stewards Decision - Document No. 5" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
- ^ "2022 Italian Grand Prix – Revised Entry List" (PDF). FIA. 10 September 2022.
- ^ "FIA Stewards Decision - Document No. 6" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
- ^ "2016 FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX - RACE RESULT". Formula 1.
- ^ "2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Entry List (Corrected)" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 13 September 2024.
- ^ "2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Entry List" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.
- ^ "2020 Sakhir Grand Prix - Entry List" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.
- ^ "World champion Hamilton runs number 1 on his Mercedes in Abu Dhabi". Formula1.com. 23 November 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
- ^ "Champion Verstappen to run No.1 on Red Bull in 2022 as he reveals congratulations from Wolff and Hamilton". Formula1.com. 14 December 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
