Unique starting numbers come with a story. What is the magic behind those numbers?
1. Champions number by right. Vettel will drive with it, although his "regular" number will be 5.
A short story behind the numbers
Translated with google from a Dutch website, overhauled by myself.
Starting this year, the drivers in Formula 1 will start with a number chosen by themselves, that they will love, in the top racing class for the rest of their careers, So is it possible that Fernando Alonso drives this years races with fourteen on the car, Lewis Hamilton with the number 44 on his helmet, thanks to Adrian Sutil a car with number 99 stands on the grid and Pastor Maldonado will appear at the start with thirteen .
1. Sebastian Vettel is the reigning world champion of course and has the right to ride with number 1. Mandatory it is not . Otherwise he'd also be able to choose to use his own number. His personal preference; Vettel has already let the FIA know that five is his fixed number . " I chose five because I was very successful in 2001, with that number in karts and it was my number when i became the first time world champion in Formula 1 in 2010," the Red Bull driver explains his choice. " There are also other drivers who became world champion with that number; Nigel Mansell and Michael Schumacher for example . "
3. Daniel Ricciardo : the number he had when he started karting . Also was a big fan of the 2001 passed away NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt , who also drove in three in the car .
4. Max Chilton : fits nicely in his name . Has already new logo designs for M4X .
6. Nico Rosberg : father Keke became world champion in 1982 with number six . " My father sent me an email in which he wrote that I had to go for 6 because he was very successful with that number . Not much later told my fiance that I had to choose 6, because that was her lucky number . Six for six in 2002 when I went with number six and became champion in Formula BMW . So for those reasons I eventually just go for six . "
7. Kimi Raikkonen : " There's not really a story ," shares the Finn, this year 's team-mate Fernando Alonso at Ferrari , about it. "I rode last year with seven on the car and do not see why I should take another number. I think it sounds good, then it's fine, right? "
8. Romain Grosjean : " This is a special number for me, my wife 's birthday is on December 8 , since 2008 we were in a relationship with each other and in my eyes my son is the eighth wonder of the world . ", The Lotus driver .
9. Marcus Ericsson : his choice of starting number nine has not been substantiated.
10. Kamui Kobayashi : the end of 2009 he made his Formula 1 debut with number ten , as a replacement for the injured Timo Glock . But ten was not his first choice . The Japanese would rather have had four .
11. Sergio Perez : drove throughout his career a few times with eleven on the car and this reason is why it is his first choice given to the FIA . " My goal , however, is to get start number one. "
13. Pastor Maldonado has not yet explained why he wants to race with thirteen on the car . Thirteen is in many countries seen as an unlucky number, but is thought to be a lucky number in other countries . In Formula 1 start number thirteen was always left out by the distribution of the starting numbers .
14. Fernando Alonso, the Spaniard won on July 14, 1996 at the age of 14 in a kart with number fourteen .
17. Jules Bianchi : earlier tried to get 7, 27 and 77 with the governing body, but they have all gone past his nose . Other drivers who exceed his last year finishing position in the championship, were given priority in the allocation of these numbers . The Marussia driver should do it now with seventeen .
19. Felipe Massa : like many other drivers Massa also decided to ride with a number that he has used in a number of karts . " My uncle also raced with that number ," said the Brazilian. Incidentally, had Massa without the introduction of the permanent race numbers also may have been driven with nineteen this year. Based on the final standings in the championship last year, the Williams team, where Massa after leaving Ferrari took shelter , had in fact starting numbers eighteen and nineteen assigned .
20. Kevin Magnussen , the son of former Formula 1 driver Jan Magnussen drove with number twenty in karting , but it was also his number in his last year when he became champion in the World Series by Renault . " It is a number that has been following me for a while, and with overall success ," said the Dane , who this year makes his Grand Prix debut at McLaren himself . " The idea of a fixed number allows me to continue it , though it might be more fun if the numbers are larger and clearer to see on the cars. But I'm not going on . "
21 . Esteban Gutierrez : his lucky number , more could the Mexican driver not say about it.
22. Jenson Button : World Champion in 2009 with start number 22 , in the Brawn GP team .
25 . Jean - Eric Vergne : born on April 25. The Toro Rosso driver also drove in the go-karts with it.
26. Daniil Kvyat : born on April 26. " In addition, I drove my first kart race in Russia even with that number ," said the Russian newcomer in the highest class of auto racing . " Furthermore, there is not much history to this number, so I now have the opportunity to make a famous figure of 26"
27. Nico Hülkenberg : despite Hülkenberg appears at the start with a legendary number, the Force India driver does not really come with a good story if you ask him why he chose 27. No reference to Gilles Villeneuve or otherwise to Ayrton Senna , Mario Andretti , Ronnie Peterson , Jean Alesi and Carlos Reutemann , who all have driven. 27 No, Hülkenberg was born on August 19 and has simply nineteen and eight , for the month of August , added up to become 27 together " It 's nice that we have a number to choose yourself, but I believe it is not really that important. "
44. Lewis Hamilton drove in the go-karts already 44 . " I did my first race and won my first national with it." In addition, 44 is the sum of all his previous numbers in the Formula 1 ( 2, 22 , 1, 2 , 3, 4 , 10) .
77. Valtteri Bottas : chose a number he can handle easily in his name . Soon after the start numbers were known , the Williams driver twittered the hashtags # Val77eri and #BO77AS .
99. Adrian Sutil : the highest number that can be dialed. Sutil : " In my life just the maximum . "
Source: GPUpdate