F1 driver numbers explained
Since 2014 every Formula 1 driver picks a permanent number from 2 to 99 and keeps it for their career. Number 1 is reserved for the reigning champion, who can choose to run it or keep their own. Only one number is retired: 17, withdrawn by the FIA in memory of Jules Bianchi. The rest, including 13, are available.
How F1 driver numbers work
Since 2014, every driver chooses a permanent number and keeps it for their whole Formula 1 career, picking from 2 to 99.[1] Before then, numbers were handed out by team and championship position and changed every year.[1] A number stays reserved for its driver and only returns to the pool once that driver has not raced for two full seasons.[1]
Number 1: the champion's choice
Number 1 is set aside for the reigning World Drivers' Champion, but running it is optional.[1] Lewis Hamilton kept his 44 through every title rather than switch to 1, while Max Verstappen took 1 after his 2021 championship.[2] After winning the 2025 title, Lando Norris confirmed he would run number 1 in 2026 instead of his usual 4.[3]
Which numbers are taken, and which are retired
Drivers can use any available number from 2 to 99, including 13, which was avoided out of superstition for decades but is now allowed.[1] Only one number is permanently retired: 17, withdrawn by the FIA in memory of Jules Bianchi.[4] Number 0 is not part of the normal range and has only appeared in special historical cases, such as Damon Hill in 1993 and 1994 when the reigning champion did not return.[1] We tell the full story in why number 17 is retired.
Why drivers pick their numbers
The choices are personal. Lewis Hamilton runs 44 because it was on his first kart, taken from his father's car number plate, which read F44.[2] Max Verstappen wanted 3, found it taken by Daniel Ricciardo, and doubled it to 33 for luck, later ran 1 as champion, and takes the 3 he always chased for 2026.[2] Charles Leclerc picked 16 because its digits add up to 7 and it matches his birthday, Carlos Sainz uses 55 as a play on his name, and Fernando Alonso runs 14 after a karting title won aged 14 on the 14th.[2]
:::analysis The permanent-number era did something subtle: it turned a bureaucratic detail into part of each driver's identity. A number now travels with a driver across teams and seasons, which is why fans search for the meaning behind them, and why retiring 17 carries the weight it does.
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Related reading
- [1]List of Formula One driver numbers (Wikipedia) (wikipedia-en). Accessed 2026-06-19.
- [2]Why each driver picked their F1 race number (Formula1.com) (formula1). Accessed 2026-06-19.
- [3]Norris confirms he will use car number 1 in 2026 (Formula1.com) (formula1). Accessed 2026-06-19.
- [4]Number 17 to be retired in Bianchi's honour (Formula1.com) (formula1). Accessed 2026-06-19.