List of Formula One driver numbers

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

In

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] The 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. Max Verstappen is using number 1 in 2022, 2023 and 2024 after his titles in 2021, 2022 and 2023.[5]

The 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) and 51 (used by Pietro Fittipaldi in two races).

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;[6] 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

The following lists all Formula One driver numbers which were claimed as permanent career numbers since the 2014 season.

No. Driver 2024 team First
used
Last
used
1 Reserved for champion[N 1] 2014 2024
2 Belgium Stoffel Vandoorne[N 2] 2017 2018
United States Logan Sargeant United Kingdom Williams 2023 2024
3 Australia Daniel Ricciardo Italy RB 2014 2024
4 United Kingdom Max Chilton 2014 2014
United Kingdom Lando Norris United Kingdom McLaren 2019 2024
5 Germany Sebastian Vettel[N 3] 2015 2022
6 Germany Nico Rosberg 2014 2016
Canada Nicholas Latifi 2020 2022
7 Finland Kimi Räikkönen 2014 2021
8 France Romain Grosjean 2014 2020
9 Sweden Marcus Ericsson 2014 2018
Nikita Mazepin[N 4] 2021 2021
10 Japan Kamui Kobayashi 2014 2014
France Pierre Gasly France Alpine 2017 2024
11 Mexico Sergio Pérez Austria Red Bull Racing 2014 2024
12 Brazil Felipe Nasr 2015 2016
13 Venezuela Pastor Maldonado 2014 2015
14 Spain Fernando Alonso United Kingdom Aston Martin 2014 2024
16 Monaco Charles Leclerc Italy Ferrari 2018 2024
17 France Jules Bianchi Number retired[N 5] 2014 2014
18 Canada Lance Stroll United Kingdom Aston Martin 2017 2024
19 Brazil Felipe Massa 2014 2017
20 Denmark Kevin Magnussen United States Haas 2014 2024
21 Mexico Esteban Gutiérrez 2014 2016
Netherlands Nyck de Vries[N 6] 2023 2023
22 United Kingdom Jenson Button 2014 2017
Japan Yuki Tsunoda Italy RB 2021 2024
23
Alexander Albon
United Kingdom Williams 2019 2024
24 China Zhou Guanyu Switzerland Kick Sauber 2022 2024
25 France Jean-Éric Vergne 2014 2014
26 Russia Daniil Kvyat 2014 2020
27 Germany Nico Hülkenberg United States Haas 2014 2024
28 United Kingdom Will Stevens[N 7] 2015 2015
New Zealand Brendon Hartley[N 8] 2017 2018
30 United Kingdom Jolyon Palmer 2016 2017
31 France Esteban Ocon France Alpine 2016 2024
33 Netherlands Max Verstappen[N 1] Austria Red Bull Racing 2015 2021
35
Sergey Sirotkin
2018 2018
44 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Germany Mercedes 2014 2024
47 Germany Mick Schumacher 2021 2022
53 United States Alexander Rossi[N 9] 2015 2015
55 Spain Carlos Sainz Jr. Italy Ferrari 2015 2024
63 United Kingdom George Russell Germany Mercedes 2019 2024
77 Finland Valtteri Bottas Switzerland Kick Sauber 2014 2024
81 Australia Oscar Piastri United Kingdom McLaren 2023 2024
88 Indonesia Rio Haryanto 2016 2016
Poland Robert Kubica 2019 2021
89 United Kingdom Jack Aitken 2020 2020
94 Germany Pascal Wehrlein 2016 2017
98 Spain Roberto Merhi 2015 2015
99 Germany Adrian Sutil 2014 2014
Italy Antonio Giovinazzi[N 10] 2019 2021
Sources:[9][10][11][12]

Notes

  1. ^ a b Max Verstappen exercised his right to use number 1 as the reigning world champion in 2022–2024.
  2. ^ Vandoorne used number 47 while substituting for another driver in 2016.
  3. ^ Vettel used number 1 when he was reigning World Champion in 2014.
  4. ^ 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.[7]
  5. ^ The number 17 was retired by the FIA following Bianchi's death in 2015.[8]
  6. ^ De Vries used number 45 while substituting for another driver in 2022.
  7. ^ Stevens used number 46 while substituting for another driver in 2014.
  8. ^ Hartley used number 39 while substituting for another driver in 2017.
  9. ^ Rossi used number 42 while substituting for other drivers in 2014.
  10. ^ Giovinazzi used number 36 while substituting for another driver in 2017.

References

  1. ^ Sam Tremayne. "Formula 1 drivers to get permanent numbers from 2014". Autosport.com. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ "A look at the history of numbers in Formula 1". Squad Numbers. 7 November 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  4. ^ Parkes, Ian (20 July 2015). "The FIA will retire Jules Bianchi's number 17 from Formula 1". Autosport. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ "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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "Number 17 to be retired in Bianchi's honour". Formula One World Championship Limited. 20 July 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  9. ^ "F1 2014: The reasons behind the numbers". GP Update. GP Update. 8 February 2014. Archived from the original on 27 September 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  10. ^ Tremayne, Sam (9 December 2013). "Formula 1 drivers to get permanent numbers from 2014". Motorsport. Motorsport.com. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  11. ^ "2015 F1 driver numbers". Crash.net. Crash.net. 12 January 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  12. ^ "2021 and 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship Entry Lists". fia.com. FIA.com. 7 December 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2021.