F1 Drivers numbers, Is 12 Senna's number?

 

Photo by Mercedes F1 Team via Mercedes F1 Team - X/Twitter

Now that you already know the history of Numbering in F1, what about we talk about the '24-'25 grid numbers, and the elephant in the room, the polemic 12

Just in 2014 the driver would have their own number, but he rules were

•  The driver could use any number between 2 to 99, except number 1, exclusive of the champion for him to choose if they want or not to use. For example after win his first tittle Verstappen started to use on the following season.
•  After the driver left the championship, the number will be available again only after 2 years. For exemple, number 5 that Vettel used will be only available in 2025.
•  For junior driver in free practice and reserve driver (for a short period of time), each team has pre-determined numbers
• The number 17 is retired after Jules Bianchi's death in 2015 due to his tragic accident at the Japan Grand Prix in 2014.

Why did each driver choose each number?

• 1//3 - VERSTAPPEN: 1 cause he is champion, 33 cause he likes number 3 but Ricciardo is using so he repeated
• 3 - RICCIARDO: he is fan of the NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt, he used 3
• 4 - NORRIS: he thought to used 46 'cause he's fan of Valentino Rossi, but chose the 4, a way to create a branding involving his name, his initials and 4
• 10 - GASLY: 'cause he's a Zidane fan
• 11 - CHECO: He is a fan of Club de Fútbol América, and its former striker Iván Zamorano that used 11 with team.
• 14 - ALONSO: his lucky number, he became world champion at the age of 14, on the 14th July, with a go-kart numbered 14.
• 16 - LECLERC: originally wanting number 7, but it was already taken. He also wanted number 10, which was also unavailable. He settled for 16, 1 and 6 add up to 7. It also aligns with his birthday which is 16th October.
• 18 - STROLL: the number has a special place in his heart and has done throughout his entire racing career, after winning the Formula 3 and Formula 4 championships with the same number, and he got in F1 when he was 18 years old
• 20 - MAGUNSSEN: because of his past victories. He stocked with it after having won the Formula Renault title in 2013 with the same number.
• 22 - TSUNODA:  originally wanting number 11 because it was his number during his karting period, however this was already taken. As an alternative, Tsunoda decided to double it
• 23 - ALBON: 'cause of other sporting legends being known for this number, such as LeBron James and Michael Jordan
• 24 - ZHOU: he shared that Kobe Bryant had inspired him when his focus was more on basketball than racing, 24 was the number of Kobe Bryant’s jersey number with the Los Angeles Lakers.
• 27 - HULKENBERG: month and date of his birthday (August 19th) added together.
• 31 - OCON: 'cause it was the same number he raced with during his junior karting days.
• 44 - HAMILTON: when his father bought him a go-kart and they had to give it a number. His father’s number plate was ‘F44’ and so they decided to give the same number to the go-kart and he kept it.
• Hamilton only used the number 1 once, for only one session, he received special dispensation to replace the 44 on the front of his car with 1 in Abu Dhabi, in 2018, which he used in FP1 before switching back to his original number for the second session. He said: “I personally don’t like it, I don’t like it at all,”
• 55 - SAINZ: originally wanted the driver number 5. However, this was already taken so he decided to go with the next best thing, number 55. Carlos' branding can play with the 55 and S in his name and surname
• 63 - RUSSELL: 'cause it was his brother's number when he began karting at a young age, also good for his branding GR
• 77 - BOTTAS: originally wanted the number 7 but this was unavailable , like Carlos Sainz, decided for having two! For the branding Valtteri can use de 77 to replace the Ts in his name.
• 81 - PIASTRI: Oscar’s driver number 81 originated from his karting days.

Williams drivers:

• 2 - SARGEANT: also wanted the number 3, but Danny Ric is using, so he chose the 2, his number in the Formula Renault
• 43 - FRANCO: number that he competed for most of his career in the junior categories

If Sargeant and Colapinto don't come back, in 2 years, their numbers will be available in 2027

Numbers rookies '25 (September 5, 2024):

• 87 - BEARMAN: the number that he raced since the beginning and it's the number that his dad raced with - because I'm born on the eighth of May, and my brother on the seventh of August.
• 12 - ANTONELLI: he liked it because of its link with Ayrton Senna, his hero, who raced with #12 from 1985 through to his title-winning 1988 campaign. His words:
• "I will take 12, I have many numbers that I like. But 12 is a special one, also because of an idol. I've been using it since F4. It always went well with 12. So, no reason to change it for next year." - said the Italian driver.

DOOHAN wanted the 12, but Kimi got it first, we still don't know which number he'll choose

Let's talk about the elephant in the room - Is 12 Senna's number?
When it was announced that Kimi Antonelli would use the number 12, some Brazilian fans went crazy, because it was the "Senna's number", but ahas already been used polite fan asked me if he really could use it and if it wasn't a forbidden number as 17, for this reason I decided to write these posts.

As we could see on the last post that it was about the history of numbering in F1, the drivers didn't have a number, they every single race they used a number, when they started to have "fixed" numbers, they changed season to season, until we arrived for this new regulation. I suggest for you to read the first post before continue this.

Senna started using the 42 on his car during his karting days, just because when he signed up for the Junior category, he was 42nd on the list. But I know you are here for the F1 numbers, he started in 1984, so it was the "fixed" regulation, but here is the list:

• 1984 - When he was driving for Toleman-Hart, he used the number 19
• 1985 to 1988 - Driving for Lotus-Renault/Lotus-Honda/McLaren-Honda he used 12
• In 1988 he won his first title
• 1989 - Still in McLaren-Honda but this time using 1
• 1990 - Still in McLaren-Honda but this time using 27
• In 1990, Senna won his second title
• 1991 to 1992 - Still in McLaren-Honda and again using 1
• In 1991, Senna won his third title
• 1993 - Still in McLaren-Honda but this time using 8
• 1994- Now driving for Williams-Renault, he used the number 2
• Unfortunately this was his last season, one season he never completed due to his accident in Imola

Just to give a example of another driver that used the number 12, actually he used before Senna, it was Gilles Villeneuve, he drove using the 21 in his debut, 11 when replacing Niki Lauda in Japan in 1977, 12 of seasons 1978 and 1979, 2 in 1980, 27 until the tragic race of Zolder on May 8th, 1982.

Actually, the number 12 has already been used in F1 after Senna, and also it has been available since the start of 2019, after Brazilian Felipe Nasr having used it during his two seasons in F1 in 2015 and 2016. I hope with this post this hate wave to Antonelli 'cause he is using the number 12 stops.

The number have been used to identify the driver, but NOW it's not only that the numbers also its part of the drivers' branding, the design of the number. Reminder: F1 drivers don't own the number.

UPDATE: (Out. 07, 2024)
VCARB dropped Daniel Ricciardo, and he will be replace by Liam Lawson.
Differently of last year, that Lawson used the number 40, this time he'll use the 30, on a video for the team social medias he explained that his first number was 18, but when he was kart racing with a a team a guy that looked after him, became his hero, idol, and he drove with the number 30 he was the guy who taught him everything about kart racing, Lawson held that number all the way through.
Liam finished the video saying: "and I've told him as well that I'm bringing our number into Formula One and he's *** stoked"

So, see you soon!

Fondly, Nina