Global InformationList of Formula One driver numbers information
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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] 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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.