While initially used as a means of identifying who was behind the wheel of each car, F1 driver numbers have become much more than that over the years, with many gaining an iconic legacy in the sport.
The process of allocating a driver number has evolved across the championship’s history. Between 1950 and 1973, they were assigned on a race-by-race basis, but a more consistent system was brought into effect in 1974 based on the 1973 Teams’ Championship standings.
This initially meant that the winning driver’s team would run the numbers #1 and #2 even if the champion had left, a rule that was slightly changed when it was decided that the title-holder could take the #1 with them should they choose to switch to another outfit – for example, Damon Hill sported this number in 1997 whilst racing for Arrows after taking the crown with Williams in the previous campaign.
There was also a development in 1996 that resulted in the numbers changing every year based on the standings from the most recent season. Previously, the assigned numbers given in 1974 would remain with each team permanently unless they claimed the championship, in which case they would swap with the previous title-winners.
Since 2014, each driver has been able to select their own number which then stays with them. The number should be between #2 and #99, while numbers used by former drivers become available for another to use once the previous holder has not competed in the sport for two consecutive seasons.
Both before the current system was implemented and after, several driver numbers have developed a special status in the sport. As such, we’ve rounded up seven particularly famous numbers from F1 past and present – and delved into the stories behind them…
#44
We start with a number that is one of the most well-known – and successful – in the modern era of Formula 1. When drivers were able to select their own as of 2014, Lewis Hamilton opted for #44.
The story behind his choice stemmed back to the very early days of his career, with the seven-time World Champion previously explaining: “When I was eight, we got a really old go-kart and it was owned by, like, five or six different families.
“It was from the back of the newspaper. My dad got this kart, rebuilt it and we had to enter our first race and my dad didn’t know what number to use. And on the number plate of his car was F44. That’s the number we raced with for many years.”
Hamilton added that the number has been “loyal” to him, and the statistics would certainly back this up in terms of accolades. The #44 has adorned the Briton’s car during six of his seven title-winning campaigns, bringing him 83 of his 105 Grand Prix victories.
#5
While #44 is synonymous with Hamilton, #5 has been carried by several famous names on its way to becoming the second most successful driver number in Formula 1 history (more on the number that beats it later in this list).
A total of nine Drivers’ titles have been earned in the #5 car, a triumphant run kickstarted by Emerson Fittipaldi when he claimed McLaren’s maiden crown in 1974. Championship glory with the number followed for Mario Andretti (1978), Nelson Piquet (1981, 1983), Nigel Mansell (1992), Michael Schumacher (1994), Damon Hill (1996), Fernando Alonso (2005) and Sebastian Vettel (2010).
While he took the #1 from 2011 through to 2014 – marking his back-to-back championships – Vettel selected #5 as his number from 2015 onwards, with it previously bringing success during his junior career as well as being a nod to the famous ‘Red 5’ that adorned Mansell’s car whilst racing for Williams.
Following his departure from the sport at the end of 2022, #5 was reserved for Vettel for a further two seasons – but, having become available for use again as of 2025, the number is now being sported by Kick Sauber rookie Gabriel Bortoleto.
#12
The number #12 has become a familiar sight in F1 again this season, with Kimi Antonelli choosing it for his maiden campaign as a Mercedes driver.
As well as bringing him several titles whilst climbing the ranks in junior categories, Antonelli has admitted that his selection was based on the fact that #12 was used by his idol Ayrton Senna during the early days of his own Formula 1 career.
The three-time World Champion ran the number whilst racing for Lotus between 1985 and 1987, an era in which he claimed his first victories in the sport. Senna again used #12 when he switched to McLaren in 1988, a season in which the team were utterly dominant and Senna clinched his debut World Championship.
Incidentally, #12 was also the number sported by Niki Lauda’s Ferrari during the Austrian’s own maiden title campaign in 1975.
#27
For a number with a particularly special history in the sport, look no further than #27. Having first gained prominence on the Williams of Alan Jones in the late 1970s – and his championship win in 1980 – it is perhaps most greatly associated with the legendary Gilles Villeneuve.
The Canadian racer might have only driven the #27 Ferrari for 19 Grands Prix – and in fact took four of his six F1 wins with the aforementioned #12 – but it is a number that has become tied to his legacy, a symbol of his dazzling racecraft at the wheel of the Scuderia’s challenger.
In the years after Villeneuve’s fatal accident at the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix, #27 went on to be raced by the likes of Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost and Jean Alesi during their own stints with Ferrari. But it was on the nosecone of a McLaren that it experienced its second title, courtesy of Ayrton Senna in 1990.
Nowadays the number is being used by Nico Hulkenberg, though the German’s reason for choosing #27 is not necessarily linked to its storied past; the Kick Sauber driver simply added the day and month of his birthday – August 19 (08/19) – to make his selection.
#22
Now we arrive at a number that carries with it an intriguing history. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, the #22 car generally represented a backmarker team; given that the allocation was based on the previous campaign’s Teams’ Championship, the squad at the latter end would subsequently receive the higher numbers.
However, when McLaren were stripped of their constructor points in 2007 owing to the ‘Spygate’ scandal, the Woking-based outfit ran #22 and #23 for the 2008 season, with the former adorning the car of Lewis Hamilton as he entered into his sophomore year.
What followed was a stunning campaign in which Hamilton clinched his debut World Championship, meaning that the Briton would use #1 in 2009. This saw #22 move over to the newly-formed Brawn GP outfit and the challenger raced by Jenson Button.
Against the odds, #22 again experienced title success as Button and Brawn GP stormed to both championships in a fairytale result that has gone down in F1 lore. Button went on to select the number as his own from 2014 onwards, while it is now used by Yuki Tsunoda, who doubled his former karting number of #11 given that this had already been taken in F1 by Sergio Perez.
#1
The most successful driver number in Formula 1 history is – fittingly – #1, having collected 15 World Championships since its first in 1986.
Given that it is reserved for the reigning title-holder, the #1 has only been used by champions; as such, the list of those to drive it to further triumphs makes for impressive reading. Alain Prost was the first to clinch the championship using the number in 1986, off the back of his maiden crown in 1985.
The #1 car again experienced title glory in 1991 courtesy of Prost’s rival Ayrton Senna, a feat that was repeated by Michael Schumacher (1995) and Mika Hakkinen (1999) later in the decade as they claimed their own consecutive successes.
In the current century, the number has earned a whopping 11 further World Championships thanks to Schumacher (2001-2004), Fernando Alonso (2006), Sebastian Vettel (2011-2013) and Max Verstappen (2022-2024). Verstappen continues to sport the #1 as the reigning champion, but it remains to be seen if he can hold onto it for 2025.
It is also worth noting that the World Champion does not have to use #1 if they choose, meaning that there is the chance of it disappearing from the grid next season should the winner prefer to use their own selection; Lewis Hamilton, for example, opted to stick with #44 during his own title-winning streak.
#17
We conclude with a particularly poignant number – that being #17, which was used by the late Jules Bianchi during his Formula 1 career.
When he made his debut in the sport at the 2013 Australian Grand Prix, Bianchi was allocated #22 for his Marussia, the team have ended the 2012 season down in P11 of the Teams’ Championship.
With the system changing in 2014 to allow drivers to select their own numbers, the Frenchman started to use #17 for his sophomore season, going on to memorably score points with a P9 result at the sixth round of the campaign in Monaco.
Tragically, Bianchi suffered an accident at the rain-affected Japanese Grand Prix later that year and passed away as a result of his injuries on July 18, 2015.
Following his passing, it was confirmed that the number #17 would be retired as a tribute to Bianchi.
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