Drivers at the pinnacle of motorsport, F1, have been allowed to choose permanent numbers for their careers, marking a change from the traditional system in which teams are allotted numbers according to their performance the previous season.
Four-time and defending F1 champion Sebastian Vettel has chosen #5 – but because of his status as champion also had the choice of #1 exclusively. In the event of someone else winning the championship, Vettel will then use #5 going forward. Red Bull Racing team mate Daniel Ricciardo has chosen #3.
In the Mercedes team Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg are #44 and #6 respectively, while the Ferrari stable of Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen are #14 and #7. At Lotus, Romain Grosjean has opted for #8 and Pastor Maldonado #13. The McLaren pairing of Jenson Button and Danish rookie Kevin Magnussen have chosen #22 and #20.
The Force India duo Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez are #27 and #11, while the Sauber duo of Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez are #99 and #21. At Toro Rosso, Jean-Eric Vergne and Russian rookie Daniil Kvyat are #25 and #26. The Williams pair of Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas are #19 and #77, and Marussia’s Jules Bianchi is #17 – with Max Chilton’s number yet to be decided.
Caterham announced that after a year’s absence, Kamui Kobayashi has signed with the Leafield-based team as well as Swedish rookie Marcus Ericsson – both drivers’ numbers are yet to be confirmed.
