The FIA has published a provisional entry list for the 2014 season including details of which numbers drivers have chosen.
Sebastian Vettel will continue to use the number one as the reigning world champion this year, and has chosen five as his career number.
New team mate Daniel Ricciardo will use number three, which Pastor Maldonado had expressed a preference for. Maldonado, who moves to Lotus this year, will instead use 13, which FIA had previously not allocated to drivers.
The FIA has provisionally listed Max Chilton as the occupant of the second Marussia, although his place is yet to be confirmed by the team. Caterham is the only other team yet to announce any drivers for the coming season.
2014 F1 season
- Which was F1’s best down-to-the-wire title fight?
- Fear of rules change led Mercedes to run dominant 2014 engine in “idle mode”
- Mercedes’ Bahrain battle “too dangerous” – Warwick
- Streiff’s comments on Bianchi crash investigation prompts legal action from FIA
- Is stewarding improving? Analysing 2014’s penalties
Browse all 2014 F1 season articles
Image © Red Bull/Getty
Force Maikel (@force-maikel)
10th January 2014, 18:11
I see what you did there Pastor…
Scott Johnson (@spotj)
10th January 2014, 18:27
Haha. Thought the same thing.
Strontium (@strontium)
11th January 2014, 12:23
Me too!!
Patrick (@paeschli)
10th January 2014, 19:13
https://www.racefans.net/2008/01/09/your-questions-f1-and-the-number-13/
I’m very happy Pastor chose number 13th, it was just plain stupid to be so superstitious about it.
Also glad Vettel chose number 1 to race with next season because he deserved it :D
Beto (@chebeto)
10th January 2014, 19:52
@paeschli I wanted so bad someone to choose number 13. But from all the drivers from the field…
Let’s be honest, Maldonado has a high chance of crashing at any moment, and the 13 will be doomed again to a “bad luck” number.
On Vettel driving with number 1… it makes me a bit uncomfortable. Not that he doesn’t deserve it, but I feel like he is saying “I am the best!”. Come on, Seb! It would have also been cool if he won this fifth WDC with number 5.
tmax (@tmax)
10th January 2014, 20:05
Then that should make you uncomfortable with anyone driving with 1 because whoever drives with 1 is saying that “I am the best” . This the whole point of keeping 1 open for the WDC is to say that “I am the best” .
If you are uncomfortable with just Vettel driving with 1 then that is a different topic altogether !!!!
Joshua Mesh (@joshua-mesh)
10th January 2014, 20:46
Isnt no.1 his forever now?
John H (@john-h)
10th January 2014, 22:37
Nope. Whomever wins the championship each year can choose no.1 or their ‘default’ value.
Interestingly, Vettel now can only pick 79 of the 99 numbers that were available (unless he got the chance to reserve a default one too).
John H (@john-h)
10th January 2014, 22:45
Doh! It says it in the article.
In the words of the late Leslie Nielsen: “I realise that… now”
BJ (@beejis60)
11th January 2014, 5:54
@john-h Vettel has already chosen 5 as his “lifetime” number.
George (@george)
10th January 2014, 20:33
I hope if they’re allowed custom graphics he draws the #1 in the shape of a finger, that would be priceless :D
nidzovski (@nidzovski)
10th January 2014, 23:16
this is how coll Vettel realy is :D
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JGItMTxvbpc
nidzovski (@nidzovski)
10th January 2014, 23:19
cool God damn it :)
aka_robyn
11th January 2014, 0:39
Yeah, seriously!!! And any future champion who chose to go with #1 would just be on a huge ego trip, too — am I right? In fact, they should probably just completely eliminate #1 as a choice. We don’t need people going around flaunting their champion status and making others feel inadequate. :-(
Actually, now that you mention it, what’s up with that HUGE trophy he accepts every year? Seriously, have some humility, Vettel.
Monosodico (@monosodico)
11th January 2014, 14:16
I think he choosed it because that number is asociated to 3 famous venezuelan baseball players. David Concepcion, Oswaldo Guillen and Omar Vizquel.
Marciare_o_Marcire (@marciare-o-marcire)
12th January 2014, 16:51
Why do you consider it stupid to be supersticious about the number 13? Do you think that your refusal to acknowledge something (for instance the bad luck associated with the number 13) is a result of higher intelligence? Where I come from, a refusal to acknowledge something without any basis of fact is called bigotry.
Marciare_o_Marcire (@marciare-o-marcire)
12th January 2014, 16:51
Why do you consider it stupid to be supersticious about the number 13? Do you think that your refusal to acknowledge something (for instance the bad luck associated with the number 13) is a result of higher intelligence? Where I come from, a refusal to acknowledge something without any basis of fact is called bigotry.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
10th January 2014, 19:28
As @paeschli says, kudos to Maldonado for ending the stupid, long lasting avoidance of the number 13.
Also, it fits.
I wonder which number Vettel actually chose,
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
10th January 2014, 19:28
Doh… I had missed it :P
Force Maikel (@force-maikel)
10th January 2014, 19:42
Yeah, I’m really happy Pastor has broken the dogma around #13.
luigismen (@luigismen)
10th January 2014, 22:22
13 is a very common and succesful number for venezuelan baseball players.
Here in Venezuela, 13 is a historic and very popular number.
DavidS (@davids)
11th January 2014, 4:16
It would be funny if the drivers started saying “I was hit by some bad luck” in the post-retirement interview.
Patrick (@paeschli)
11th January 2014, 11:41
trololol!
celeste (@celeste)
11th January 2014, 14:45
You win
David not Coulthard (@)
11th January 2014, 4:54
He crashes so often that even when he was having good luck he crashed.
Perhaps he figured out that it meant that it’s bad luck not to crash. He’s trying not to crash, so…
:p
c.t.g
11th January 2014, 9:08
It astounded me that he got another drive this year, it astounded me that he could be so stupid on track and it astounds me that he would take the number 13, not because I am superstitious, but because almost every other driver in history has been.
I have always despised this bloke, but this just made me laugh and question if his laborious interviews are just his weird sense of humour, this sure did make me laugh out loud :)
Gdon (@gdon)
11th January 2014, 10:07
I wonder why nobody’s chosen No 2?
PhilEReid (@philereid)
10th January 2014, 18:13
Big fan of Hulkenburg getting 27, very happy with that.
Obviously Sutil just couldn’t be bothered so chose 99.
13 for Maldonado makes me very happy, because it fits, but also there’s finally a 13 car.
Bottas’s 77 is probably my favourite choice, just because it was chose solely on it being Bo77as.
spoutnik (@spoutnik)
10th January 2014, 18:33
+1 for Bottas :)
Jack_Hider (@jackhider)
10th January 2014, 18:44
Couldn’t be bothered?
PhilEReid (@philereid)
10th January 2014, 18:49
@jackhider I mean, there’s obviously no meaning to it, he probably just decided 99 would be cool and that’s it. It’s not bad, and it’s not a problem, I just mean there doesn’t appear on the surface to be much thought into the decision, other than ‘ooo, 99’.
Jack_Hider (@jackhider)
10th January 2014, 18:52
I understand, it’s just you have no evidence to back up your opinion..
PhilEReid (@philereid)
10th January 2014, 18:53
@jackhider It’s just a statement, and it was sarcastic at that.
Klaas (@klaas)
10th January 2014, 19:20
You probably don’t watch MotoGP. Double world champion Jorge Lorenzo races under this number and it became pretty symbolic.
PhilEReid (@philereid)
10th January 2014, 19:29
I do watch MotoGP, but I don’t see how Lorenzo using 99 has any relation to Sutil.
Plus, there’s the fact that Lorenzo is one of, if not the best currently in MotoGP, where as it’s questionable whether Sutil should still have a place in F1.
PMccarthy_is_a_legend (@pmccarthy_is_a_legend)
10th January 2014, 19:31
Beat me to it @klaas, 99 is a cool number, it works for Lorenzo! @jackhider just talking out of his rear
PMccarthy_is_a_legend (@pmccarthy_is_a_legend)
10th January 2014, 19:33
Sorry buddy @philereid you are just talking out of your rear now…
Jack_Hider (@jackhider)
10th January 2014, 19:40
I have never said anything against the use of the number 99, in fact I think it is pretty cool.. I watch MotoGP and know it’s use there. I was just stating that @philereid didn’t use any evidence to back up his statement. @pmccarthy_is_a_legend, honestly man, that is completely uncalled for.
PhilEReid (@philereid)
10th January 2014, 20:01
@pmccarthy_is_a_legend Why, because I have an opinion on something? Sutil, arguably, shouldn’t still be in F1 based on talent alone. There’s no need to be condescending just because you disagree with something.
PMccarthy_is_a_legend (@pmccarthy_is_a_legend)
10th January 2014, 21:50
lol sorry buddy it wasn’t meant to you @jackhider, it was my mistake I apologise. My comment was actually meant for that dude @philereid who said Sutil couldn’t be bothered and chose 99 when any racing fan worth his salt knows that this is the very number used by Lorenzo in MotoGP!
PhilEReid (@philereid)
10th January 2014, 22:31
I understand that, but I really don’t think that would have been Sutil’s thought process, only that 99 was the largest number available, so he wanted it. That’s my opinion on it anyway.
verstappen (@verstappen)
10th January 2014, 22:35
Maybe he liked Nena’s 99 luftballons…
Dwight_js
13th January 2014, 15:46
Wayne Gretzky fan, maybe?
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
11th January 2014, 3:13
@philereid – I’m sure everyone has a reason for choosing the numbers they did (except Raikkonen), Sutil simply hasn’t discussed it. Nico Hulkenberg, Esteban Gutierrez, Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo have not discussed the reasons behind their number choices, either.
Mashiat (@)
11th January 2014, 5:35
Wrong. It was solely for Val77eri Bo77as.
David (@nvherman)
11th January 2014, 7:17
Sometimes, this site needs a “Like” button so badly it actually hurts me!!
PhilEReid (@philereid)
11th January 2014, 11:06
@mashiat I noticed this after I posted, and you’re right. Bottas even pointed it out himself!
Mashiat (@)
11th January 2014, 11:59
How do you know Sutil couldn’t be bothered? Maybe, for instance the year 1999 was the year his aunt’s brother-in-law’s cousin’s uncle’s next door neighbor’s son’s ate a cookie for the first time.
Ryan Williams (@ryanwilliams)
10th January 2014, 18:14
Quite poetic that Williams get #19 and #77 seeing as 1977 was the first year a “Williams” F1 car appeared on an F1 grid
Alec (@vonhoff)
10th January 2014, 18:15
Highly appropriate number for Crashtor….
Philippe (@philippe)
10th January 2014, 18:18
Great choise for Hulk ! (27)
Also very nice to see Seb and Jenson chosing numbers they’ve won titles with.
OmarR-Pepper (@)
10th January 2014, 18:20
Ferrari will want him to get things in order
daniyyel (@oji)
11th January 2014, 9:50
So now we know that Hulk already has a Ferrari contract. :)
Mashiat (@)
11th January 2014, 12:00
Then Bianchi as well as it was his first choice I believe.
xivizmath (@xivizmath)
10th January 2014, 18:18
Good job Pastor.
OmarR-Pepper (@)
10th January 2014, 18:19
I guess 5 for Vettel has to do with the “V” on his last name, so it looks good.
hunocsi (@hunocsi)
10th January 2014, 18:29
Probably winning the championship with no.5 has got more to do with it…
Patrick (@paeschli)
10th January 2014, 19:15
Or the number of championships he will have won by the end of the year? :P
Klaas (@klaas)
10th January 2014, 19:21
Or 5ebastian Vettel
hunocsi (@hunocsi)
10th January 2014, 19:26
@paeschli @klaas First of all, that would be cocky. Secondly, he can win even more, and his number is permanent, so there’s no point changing the number because he is at that level.
celeste (@celeste)
10th January 2014, 20:28
@hunocsi Not exactly, the 5 can´t not mean that he is sure he is going to win this year championship. But a good graphic designer could do wonders using the number as letter as @klaas points out
Mashiat (@)
11th January 2014, 5:32
You do know that he is using No. 1 this year and if he’s world champion for a fifth time, he will continue with No. 1 so the no. of titles has nothing to do with it.
David (@nvherman)
11th January 2014, 7:18
Again with the sensible comments against some of the conspiracy theorists. Maybe he’s just inspired by Nigel Mansell, the last driver to be associated with “Red 5”. On second thoughts, perhaps not!
TMF (@)
10th January 2014, 19:30
5 was the number with which he won his first championship also with 5 wins in that season.
His next title would be his 5th.
He broke Mansell’s pole record in 2011 – the original “red 5” and the first record Vettel broke that didn’t need the “youngest” prefix.
So far he drove 5 seasons with RB and his first car in the team was the RB5.
And as you say, all merchandise with the name Vettel on it can be re-used by just saying the V is a 5.
So there are plenty of reasons why he might have chosen it :)
celeste (@celeste)
10th January 2014, 19:43
Nice information, and I like the number too
MNM101 (@mnm101)
11th January 2014, 1:40
@tmf42 He also used it when karting
https://twitter.com/redbullmotors/status/421715512867835904
BasCB (@bascb)
10th January 2014, 21:59
Or maybe 5ebastian, @omarr-pepper?
David not Coulthard (@)
11th January 2014, 5:07
…I’ve always thought of Vettel as Mr.#15 (or 1), not 5. But I guess he took the championship with it, so very well.
Swindle94
10th January 2014, 18:25
Are kimi and grosjean so boring that they can’t change numbers from last year? But seriously, how is kimi not 69?
anon
10th January 2014, 18:42
I think that Grosjean’s choice of No. 8 reflects the fact that he originally used No. 8 when he first drove for Renault in 2009 – it just so happens that, by coincidence, he had the same number in 2013 that he had in 2009.
Swindle94
10th January 2014, 18:49
That’s pretty cool, thanks. I like both drivers and found it rather funny
Luc
10th January 2014, 19:02
Brilliant mate! XD
Patrick (@paeschli)
10th January 2014, 22:07
Kimi confirmed on the official Ferrari website he was too lazy to pick a new number :)
Datt
11th January 2014, 9:53
Kimi won his first title with a #7 Ferrari. Don’t know if he choose it on purpose
Wozniyak
11th January 2014, 0:53
Kimi’s got the best number he will probably get ferrari to put it on the car 4 times like this 7777 then he’ll be able to drive at lightspeed and probably win the championship by a billion points. Ferrari will still manage to loose the constructors though.
celler (@celler)
10th January 2014, 18:27
First impressions:
– Nobody wants to be driver #2
– Vettel # 5 Red bull = Red Five
– Valtieri Bo77as
– Hulk #27, future Ferrari ride?
– Toro Rosso’s only team with consecutive numbers
– Gutierrez’ grid position
– Maldonado makes his own luck
spoutnik (@spoutnik)
10th January 2014, 18:32
@celler
In the meantime RAI and GRO seems to have kept those numbers too, despite team change :)
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
10th January 2014, 22:53
Ferrari are not going to take Hulkenberg based on his number.
Eric (@)
12th January 2014, 9:50
They might if he gets #1
Strontium (@strontium)
11th January 2014, 12:30
Too right about Gutierrez and Maldonado there!!
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
10th January 2014, 18:28
Unlucky, Jules. 27 was nabbed by an even more nailed-on future Ferrari driver! Really pleased to see it go to Hülkenberg.
Atticus (@atticus-2)
10th January 2014, 18:42
So poor Jules eventually got none of his first three choices…
Patrick (@paeschli)
10th January 2014, 19:17
That was brilliant ^^
Beto (@chebeto)
10th January 2014, 19:58
But he got a prime number. Those are better =)
DominikWilde (@dominikwilde)
10th January 2014, 20:30
“an even more nailed-on future Ferrari driver” What..?
Bianchi is already signed by Ferrari. It’s pretty much certain that he’ll have one of their race seats in the future, the same can’t be said about Hulkenberg. Remember, everyone thought Perez would end up at Ferrari…
Neil
11th January 2014, 2:46
Perez was signed by Ferrari in the same way Bianchi is.
No certainties for either of them.
Iestyn Davies (@fastiesty)
11th January 2014, 3:05
And none of them went for 28 (But Jules seemed determined to have a 7).. Nico is aiming for Ferrari with that number.. 28 for a FDA graduate ? (Marciello or Fuoco)
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
11th January 2014, 3:14
@bullfrog – Really? Ferrari have passed Hulkenberg over twice now …
marcus (@wombat1m)
10th January 2014, 18:34
Hamilton obviously not looking to have many Chinese fans – 4 in Chinese language sounds like the word for death and therefore considered very unlucky. So for about a quarter of the world’s population he has chosen a number that mean “double death”.
Poul Winther (@poul)
10th January 2014, 18:57
If you dig a bit deeper into that you would realize that Alonso’s 14 is even worse. In the case of combining 1 and 4, the 1 comes out as “guaranteed” so Alonso’s number strictly means “guaranteed death”.
However, it is not so easy to avoid all the Chinese unlucky numbers of: 1, 4, 5, 7, 13 (because 1+3=4) and very worst: 14. Also generally odd numbers are considered unlucky.
zhaviator (@zhaviator)
10th January 2014, 19:11
Fernando s number will be fine, he doesn’t have any fans in china anyway
Oleg (@aleajactaest)
10th January 2014, 19:59
So what? There are too many stupid superstitions in this world to care about.
It sucks that Pastor chose #13, because he will probably crash into everyone again and there will be idiots blaming the number.
Wozniyak
11th January 2014, 0:57
Hamiltons literaly means his name $$ 44
David not Coulthard (@)
11th January 2014, 5:20
Most of which not really of F1 (I think)?
Paul (@frankjaeger)
10th January 2014, 18:37
Praying Kobayashi grabs a Caterham seat. Caterham have been reported saying they would enjoy an ‘experienced driver’ for one of their seats, suggesting either Kovalinen and Kobayashi realistically
A confident, agile driver who I’d really love to see back in the sport.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
11th January 2014, 3:15
I think Caterham are milking that rumour for all it’s worth, myself.
Paul (@frankjaeger)
11th January 2014, 17:04
Maybe I’m missing something but what would be the advantage of that? Wouldn’t it be a huge let down if they proceeding to hire an unfavorable rookie?
Deej92 (@deej92)
10th January 2014, 18:38
Maldonado has a brilliant excuse to fall back on for every incident now! What a brilliant choice by him though.
Bottas’ pick is also one of my favourites: Val77eri Bo77as.
Hamilton’s is another one, which is a coincidence: I always liked 44 on a football shirt and my email contains 44.
Hulkenberg with 27 seems to be the stand-out pick.
Poor Bianchi though, having to settle for his 4th pick.
OmarR-Pepper (@)
11th January 2014, 0:21
The other day @tifoso1989 commented how lucky he felt when Alonso picked 14 (my friend’s birthday) and you mention your mail, well… happy ’cause my mail also contained a 5 since the dawn of the human race :P
Deej92 (@deej92)
11th January 2014, 1:54
We have a sixth sense. ;)
dodge5847 (@)
10th January 2014, 18:40
Good pick by Jenson Button – 22, his driver number in 2009 when he drove for Brawn and became world champion
dragoll (@dragoll)
10th January 2014, 21:46
@dodge5847 Ah, good pickup, I wouldn’t have picked up on that myself.
dodge5847 (@)
10th January 2014, 23:27
love the sacasm, lol
Master firelee (@master-firelee)
10th January 2014, 18:42
Well at least someone went for 17! Go Bianchi!
Retired (@jeff1s)
10th January 2014, 18:43
A lot of “low” common number in F1 is on the list. If it was me, I’d pick a high one like Hamilton, Bottas and Sutil did – repeating numbers.
Come on, Pastor!
Is that your first choice? Anyway, that’s bold. Especially from you.
Neel Jani (@neelv27)
10th January 2014, 18:46
Don’t know about you but on reading Maldonado choosing #13, I had a short burst of laughter.
Poul Winther (@poul)
10th January 2014, 18:49
Almost a third of all the numbers are in the 20’s…
NickF12013 (@nickf12013)
10th January 2014, 18:49
– Nobody picked #2. Fair enough actually
– Fantastic choice by Pastor
– #11 for Perez. Does that have anything to do with his many P11 finishes?
– Torro Rosso with consecutive numbers. Is this a coincidence or just another PR bs by Red Bull?
– VAL77ERI BO77AS!!!
celeste (@celeste)
10th January 2014, 20:24
Yeah everybody thought it will be nice to respect Mark Webber´s career number :D ;)
The Abbinator (@abbinator)
12th January 2014, 0:40
Yes, he said so himself: not bad for a #2 driver!
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
10th January 2014, 21:18
@nickf12013 – Vergne appears to have chosen a number that is important to him. Why, I don’t know.
Kvyat, meanwhile, has chosen a number with no meaning whatsoever. He has said that he did not want to rely on past success, and instead wants to build up his own meaning around his new number in the future.
AndrewT (@andrewt)
11th January 2014, 17:28
@prisoner-monkeys: Vergne used to pay tribute to fellow French drivers by using special livery helmets. I remember a Francois Cevert and a Jean Alesi one. As car number 25 and 26 used to belong traditionally to the Ligier team, maybe is this a kind of a tribute to the French F1 history as well?
periwinkle (@shena)
11th January 2014, 4:50
JEV’s three choices were 25, 21 and 27. Had someone in front him chosen 25, he’d have gotten 21. He had no idea who chose which numbers back then. So how can it be PR BS?
Magnificent Geoffrey (@magnificent-geoffrey)
10th January 2014, 18:50
Oh. Alonso’s taken my favourite number…
phildick (@phildick)
11th January 2014, 10:04
@magnificent-geoffrey, what are your two other choices? You might be luckier than Jules ;)
bull mello (@bullmello)
10th January 2014, 18:55
7, 17, 27 – not a numerologist, but appreciate the synchronicity.
13 – ouch, but somewhat fitting.
FOM Fan (@)
10th January 2014, 18:56
I wonder if Sutil is hoping for a commercial tie-up in Britain with a well known ice-cream over the summer months? ;)
Dave (@)
10th January 2014, 22:47
Would have made more sense for Kimi to pick 99 in that case :-)
FOM Fan (@)
11th January 2014, 18:14
That’s true.
Yud (@yud77)
10th January 2014, 19:01
Numbers reflect personality :
vettlel 1(obvious)
Pastor Maldonado 13 (Hilarious)
PieLighter (@pielighter)
10th January 2014, 19:03
I have gained some respect for Maldonado, purely for having the stones to go against convention and take #13.
Tom (@tayoma)
10th January 2014, 19:04
Some good choices there, Bo77as is the stand out one along with Hulk getting the #27 of course and nice to see how many drivers got the numbers they wanted. Some may not be “interesting” to us but mean something to them (eg Hamilton/Rosberg/Alonso). Hope Bianchi isn’t too miffed though… I wonder if 17 means something to him?
Now let’s just they’re nice & big on the cars!
Enigma (@enigma)
10th January 2014, 19:59
@tayoma I think Bianchi’s first three choices were 7, 27 and 77. So he only got his 4th choice! But he likes 7 I suppose.
Enigma (@enigma)
10th January 2014, 23:31
@tayoma Ah, just realised you probably meant that anyway.
Tom (@tayoma)
11th January 2014, 0:09
@enigma Well sort of… As you said, I guess 7 must be his lucky number. I wonder if he’s carried 17 before? Or if there’s any reason he picked that 4th instead of 70 or something?
Chad (@chaddy)
10th January 2014, 19:08
Does 13 have the same connotation in Venezuela as it does seemingly everywhere else? I assume yes, but it’d be nice to have confirmation from someone who knows what he’s talking about.
What is the significance of 27?
Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
10th January 2014, 19:18
It’s a number that was used by Ferrari for many years. A lot of people associate it with Gilles Villeneuve but as Keith tweeted earlier he actually used 12 more. Ayrton Senna also took that number to the world title in 1990.
Minardi (@gitanes)
11th January 2014, 3:02
Also of course, don’t forget Jean Alesi used it for most of his Ferrari career.
luigismen (@luigismen)
10th January 2014, 22:53
Yes, 13 does have the same connotation in Venezuela. But, for sports, the number 13 is a very historic and succesful number. Mostly in Baseball.
So, for us it is a common and good choice, not an unlucky number.
Chad (@chaddy)
11th January 2014, 5:14
@luigismen Thanks that’s very interesting. I wish this info featured more prominently in the article.
Nene_YVoVE
11th January 2014, 0:02
I Think number 13 has the same meaning in many countries, representing bad luck. But here in Venezuela, the number 13 has been used successfully by many baseball players in Mayor League Baseball, all of them playing Short-Stop (Baseball is the most popular sport in Venezuela). Luis Aparicio (Hall of fame), David Concepcion (5 golden gloves, Member of the best team of Cincinnati Reds), Ozzie Guillen (golden glove and World Series Champion as manager) and Omar Vizquel (11 golden gloves and future Hall of Fame), all of them used number 13 in MLB. Maybe Pastor wants to be some kind of F1 Daredevil, but taking 13 for sure represents some of the glory of these venezuelan sportsmen, maybe the most successful in our country in terms of achievements.
Monosodico (@monosodico)
11th January 2014, 14:38
wasn’t Aparicio’s number the 11?. Concenciopn was the one who used the 13 number first.
Dmitry (@)
10th January 2014, 19:16
I thought Seb would take 23 after Michael Jordan )))
Spawinte (@spawinte)
10th January 2014, 19:21
Nobody taking 0? Or was it not an option?
Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
10th January 2014, 19:33
The numbers available were between 2 and 99.
David not Coulthard (@)
11th January 2014, 5:28
pi and e?
Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
10th January 2014, 19:34
I’m surprised nobody has chosen 4, 10 or 12 really…
Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
10th January 2014, 19:39
Or 9…
Michael Brown (@)
10th January 2014, 19:40
I wonder if Codemasters will allow players to pick their own numbers in F1 2014?
Nah, too much work.
Mike (@mike)
11th January 2014, 1:42
Sums up codemasters attention to detail I think.
Sri Harsha (@harsha)
11th January 2014, 4:24
+1.
CM: Why People choose the Numbers its stupid to ask them
Racer (@racer)
10th January 2014, 19:52
Will cars still be arranged in numerical order if they don’t set a time? If so surprised no-one went for 2, since that would guarantee them to start ahead of anyone except Vettel if they didn’t set a time. Sutil was a bit stupid!
I think that was why Schumacher always insisted on having the odd number (which also happened to be the lower number) at Mercedes, it meant he started ahead of Rosberg when they didn’t go out in Q3, which was quite often, and just made of his “superstition” as an excuse to stop Rosberg clocking on. Cunning devil, Schumi!
Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
10th January 2014, 20:07
@racer The rules have been adjusted accordingly, apparently they will now use free practice times if that is the case, which makes sense I suppose.
Mike (@mike)
11th January 2014, 1:42
Ah that’s good. :D
Joao (@johnmilk)
10th January 2014, 19:59
I’m just happy nobody choose mine
Chad (@chaddy)
11th January 2014, 5:12
@João +1. You’re still in good shape for when you join the grid!
Cyberaxiom (@dave-m)
10th January 2014, 20:10
I really hope it’s just a coincidence that the Toro Rosso drivers went for consecutive numbers, and that there wasn’t any influence from the team to make sure that they chose numbers next to each other.
Still disappointed Kevin didn’t go for Magnu55en too.
Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
10th January 2014, 20:34
@dave-m Kevin went for 20 because he raced with it last season. Worked out well for him, he won.
Jenson has gone for 22 for a similar reason… Last time he raced with that number, he won!
krtekf1 (@krtekf1)
10th January 2014, 20:32
The last two weeks I`ve followed all the sad news about the situation with MSC… And when I saw this article, I started to think: If Michael was still driving in F1 and would have to choose his lucky number, which number would he choose? Maybe number 7 because of his seven titles? But while Raikkonen have chosen 7, he would probably chose one another odd number…maybe 91? What do you think?
Adam Blocker (@blockwall2)
10th January 2014, 20:33
I have a hunch as to why Ricciardo chose #3:
Dale Earnhardt Sr..
http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2011/11/12745.html
Matt Clark (@mattc888)
11th January 2014, 3:39
Haha nice one ;)
Jack (@jmc200)
10th January 2014, 20:33
I quite like this idea, happy that Hulkenberg got 27, hopefully it’s an omen for a red drive in the future! Of course the only number that matters in that the world champion gets No1, I hope all world champions maintain that tradition, it’s the only one that matters. The amount of numbers in the 20s is interesting, and the only numbers that are above the normal range and all doubles: 44, 77, 99, weird…
Todfod (@todfod)
10th January 2014, 20:38
Vettel chose 1. Shocker
JamieFranklinF1 (@jamiefranklinf1)
10th January 2014, 22:01
No he didn’t. He chose no.5, but races with no.1 because he’s the Champion.
aka_robyn
11th January 2014, 0:51
I love how people are annoyed that Vettel went with the number that’s reserved for the world champion. You know, because I’m sure no other world champion would do that. Only Vettel.
Karthikeyan (@ridiculous)
11th January 2014, 6:42
@aka_robyn Stop making it hard for Vettel detractors, they got nothing going for them for 4 years
David (@nvherman)
11th January 2014, 7:26
@todfod Proving he doesn’t read the whole of an article before commenting. Again.
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
11th January 2014, 9:41
+1
George (@george)
10th January 2014, 20:40
I cant be the only person that doesn’t give a hoot about numbers, can I? If anything the numbers are less interesting now as other than #1 they have no meaning.
jsw11984 (@jarred-walmsley)
10th January 2014, 20:44
Except they have much more meaning now, because they have a meaning to the driver. All they used to mean was where the teams finished. Now they have a much more personal representation to the drivers and subsequently to the fans.
Adam Blocker (@blockwall2)
10th January 2014, 20:44
@george I sort of agree. I didn’t see a problem with the old system and while the new numbers are exciting I would have liked to see an IndyCar style system more.
Hopefully the numbers aren’t too big so that they look as horrible as NASCAR.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
10th January 2014, 23:36
@blockwall2 – NASCAR numbers are that size so that you can tell which car is which, even when you are at one end of an oval circuit and the caris at the other end.
The FIA wants larger car numbers so that the cars can be identified easily. The rules only state that teams must put their numbers on their cars, but there are no rules about where they must go or how big they must be. As a result, teams have put them in bizarre places before. The vertical fins forward of the sidepods has always been popular, but Caterham once put them under the exhaust outlet, and Force India put them on the front wing, directly under the nose and between the two uprights that attach the wing to the rest of the car.
It’s believed that the FIA want visible numbers on the rear wing endplates, but the teams would oppose this because it eats into sponsor space. Hopefully they will see the benefit of personalised numbers and make them more visible.
zomtec (@zomtec)
10th January 2014, 20:44
Will the 99 be available to new drivers after the 2014 season?
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
11th January 2014, 3:23
It depends if Sutil is still driving. It’s a bit premature to assume he will retire or be dumped, considering that he would happily drive a wheelie bin if it meant staying in the sport.
Nick (@npf1)
10th January 2014, 20:44
I’ll get used to this, but as I was telling some of my non-fanatical friends Alonso was starting with number 14 next season, they replied with ‘did Ferrari do that bad in the constructor’s?’. The rundown from Maldonado to Hulkenberg is going to be confusing for them the first few races.
I do hope the FIA lists the driversnumbers as in the article, it’d only get more confusing with entry lists being VET – RIC – ROS – RAI – GRO – PER – MAL – ALO – BIA – MAS – MAG – GUT – BUT – VER – KVY – HUL – HAM – VAL – SUT.
It would have worked out if Button got 2, Grosjean 3 and Perez 4, though.
Neil
11th January 2014, 2:58
That would have been a thing of beauty…
Maybe I’m not the only one who sits trying to make words out of consecutive abbreviations on the side of the screen during boring spots in qualifying…
David (@nvherman)
11th January 2014, 7:29
I see what you did there: you Sir, have both my respect and too much time on your hands!
Kingshark (@kingshark)
10th January 2014, 21:00
Pablo Elizalde @EliGP 6m
Raikkonen is super excited about his number: “It’s the number I already had last year and I saw no reason to change it.”
f1
11th January 2014, 10:30
ha ha brilliant :)
Barney
10th January 2014, 22:40
No one chose 69 ?
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
10th January 2014, 22:51
No, because they are not fifteen year-olds. Or Nicky Hayden.
Sigurjón Þórsson (@sjonni86)
10th January 2014, 23:11
[6] Nico Rosberg inherited his father Keke’s 1982 championship number, which Keke held in ’82, ’84, ’85.
[13] Maldonado choosing to break the superstition, this number has only been involved 3 times in Formula 1 so far.
Mauritz von Strachwitz was entered into 1953 German GP but did not show up. It was his only involvement with F1. Moises Solana raced his first race in a car no. 13 in the 1963 Mexican GP, classifying 11th with expired engine 7 laps down. Also in her first F1 entry; Davina Galica entered the 1976 British GP in a car no. 13, but had a DNQ.
Vettel and Button choosing their (first) championship car numbers, [5] and [22].
Dan Vary
10th January 2014, 23:11
Seems Lewis choice of #44 could be due him racing with that number in his karting days.
http://youtu.be/qt_PJqM-sRc
Kazihno (@kazinho)
10th January 2014, 23:28
Two observations:
Maldonado should have chosen 10: 10 place grid penalty, 10 second stop-go penalty…
Alonso’s number is 2x Kimi’s number because Alonso always doubled Massa’s points tally.
Zero wasn’t offered as an option? That’s disappointing. Or are they reserving it for a Hill family member to revive in the future?
Nick (@npf1)
10th January 2014, 23:51
They could wait for a long time, since Josh Hill quit racing last year.
Karthikeyan (@ridiculous)
11th January 2014, 6:47
Will never understand this
MarkM (@mpmark)
10th January 2014, 23:59
haha! maldonado will not help the argument for non-superstiious people…out of all the people to choose it!
ezomar uzcategui (@zenzomaru)
11th January 2014, 0:16
Great Pastor, really have “Cojones”. !!! To Win!!!
Chris (@tophercheese21)
11th January 2014, 2:41
I’d have chosen 42.
Because it’s the meaning of life.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
11th January 2014, 3:24
I’d have chosen 42.
Because in a past life, I was an overweight Colombian NASCAR driver.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
11th January 2014, 7:01
In all seriousness, I probably would have chosen #53, the number my dad and all of his brothers used when they were amateur rally drivers.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
11th January 2014, 3:25
Lots of people are approving of Maldonado taking #13.
Allow me to ruin all that by pointing out that Antonio Felix da Costa wanted it first …
Nick (@npf1)
11th January 2014, 12:23
At least someone has it, I guess.
wsrgo (@wsrgo)
11th January 2014, 3:39
Er…what’s Chilton doing in the official entry list?
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
11th January 2014, 6:49
@wsrgo – Driving, I assume. Autosport seem to think that a deal has been done between Chilton and the team, but it simply hasn’t been announced. However, the team appears to have submitted the paperwork for his entry regardless, and the FIA has gone ahead and published it.
Kazihno (@kazinho)
11th January 2014, 4:00
I’m surprised no one has gone for number 95. There are a lot children out there who love Lightning McQueen. Disney make billions of $$ each year from “Cars”. Done properly, it could be a way to finance your way up the grid.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
11th January 2014, 6:55
@kazinho – They would need backing from Disney Pixar before they could start using the number in that context. If they tried to use it without Disney’s consent, they might be liable for violation of intellectual property rights.
Besides, the overwhelming majority of drivers have chosen numbers that are significant to them and their careers. Valtteri Bottas is the only one who has used a number for marketing purposes, and I think you will find that if any driver chose a number to build a brand around it, then they could do that on their own. They would not need a number like 95 to do it. After all, the number 46 was just a number before Valentino Rossi adopted it.
Hamilfan (@hamilfan)
11th January 2014, 4:01
No 69 ?
zambas
11th January 2014, 4:29
This is a very sad moment for me as I’ve been hoping for a #0 situation for a very long time (Alain Prost chose #2 in ’93 season after Mansell’s retirement and added “I don’t want to be a zero”).
+1 for Pastor
leonGTV6 (@leongtv6)
12th January 2014, 11:02
Damon Hill was #0 in ’93 & ’94 seasons.
Chad (@chaddy)
11th January 2014, 5:16
I like the numbers change. Plus, and many people have forgotten or didn’t realize this, it makes it much more likely that drivers will not be prohibited from changing helmets from race to race. Only a few do it, nb Vettel, but it can be fun, not to mention how annoying a regulation of this would be. There was talk of keeping helmets unchanged in order to help fans identify drivers, so this ought to ameliorate that concern.
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
11th January 2014, 9:43
#88 for me, due to that being the year Senna won his first WDC.
karan singh (@gk17)
11th January 2014, 9:52
kimi won the championship in 2007 with ferrari, so he kept no.7…..alonso wants to do the same in 2014, so 14!!
Strontium (@strontium)
11th January 2014, 12:32
Magnussen has my personal favourite number, so I’m now supporting him permanently!
pking008 (@pking008)
11th January 2014, 21:59
You will find that Hamilton shot to fame winning the Champions of the Future series in his junior career with the No 44 and he’s had a phenomenal career since then so makes perfect sense to choose No.44
leonGTV6 (@leongtv6)
12th January 2014, 11:24
In my opinion, if F1 wants to help fans to identify their supported drivers, they shouldn’t allow drivers to change helmet design from race to race. Who can forget Senna’s or de Angelis’ helmet? Career numbers it’s a silly rule. What would have happened in ’93, when Prost returned from his sabbatical, and some rookie of the ’92 season would have chosen “Prost’s” number? If they wanted more permanent numbers, they should re-establish the 1974-1995 numbering system.
leonGTV6 (@leongtv6)
12th January 2014, 11:33
Or they will establish retired numbers? When Vettel, a legend, retires from F1, #5 will be retired?
Or a legend’s number will be used by someone like Sakon Yamamoto?
Tom L. (@tom-l)
12th January 2014, 19:31
Even when it comes to choosing numbers, Max Chilton is the slowest!