DECEMBER 31, 2024

F1 rookies pick their 2025 race numbers

The four rookies that will take part in the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship have already notified the FIA about the race numbers they will want to have.

Both Oliver Bearman and Jaxk Doohan, who subbed for other drivers in 2024 have decided to use new numbers for the rest of their careers, as the numbers they used this year indicated their reserve driver status, while from next year’s Australian Grand Prix they’ll be fully fledged Formula 1 drivers.

Interestingly, both Kimi Antonelli and Jack Doohan indicated to the FIA they wanted to race with the number 12, but the Mercedes recruit was the first one to signal that intention – wishing to create a link with the late Ayrton Senna, of whom he’s always been a great fan – and, therefore, it will be the Italian that will inherit that race number.

Doohan had to opt for another number and has chosen number seven, the race number Kimi Raikkonen used since drivers were given permanent race numbers.

The fact the Finn stopped racing at the end of 2021 and hasn’t raced since means the number was free, so Doohan took it for his first full season with the Alpine F1 Team, rather than keeping the number 61, with which he made his Grand Prix debut a couple of weeks ago in Abu Dhabi.

Oliver Bearman has also opted to take a new number, after racing for Ferrari in Jeddah with number 38 and for Haas, in Baku and Interlagos, running with the number 50. The British driver will become the first driver to race in Formula 1 under the number 87 in his first full season with Haas.

Finally, Formula 2 champion Gabriel Bortoletto is also bringing back an historic number, as the Brazilian has indicated to the FIA he intends to race with the numbet five on his Sauber-Ferrari next year. That was, of course, Sebastian Vettel’s race number until the German retired at the end of 2022 and being unused in the last two years had become available to any new driver willing to have it.

Number five is also historically linked with Nigel Mansell, who used it during his three stints with Williams – from 1985 to 1988, from 1990 to 1992 and in his few outings with the team in 1994 – when Red Five fever hit the United Kigndom fanbase hard.

It only remains to be know what will be Isack Hadjar’s race number choice, as the Frenchman is set to replace Liam Lawson at the renamed Racing Bull team in 2025, for the entire list to be completed.