2025 Formula 1 Driver Numbers: Who’s Using What and the Stories Behind Them

The Formula 1 2025 season is right here, and both experienced and rookie drivers are pumped up to show their racing skills at the Australian Grand Prix. Every driver stands apart from the other with a unique jersey number, which they chose on their own after a rule change in 2014. While many prefer to use the numbers they have stuck to since their early days in racing, some opt for their birth dates or the numbers of their icons to bring them some luck in the races.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is the only driver with number 1 because he is the reigning champion and has held the number just like his title for four years. Once he steps down from the top position, he will use his old number 33. His new teammate Liam Lawson chose the number 30 as a tribute to his kart mentor, who used the same number in go-karting.

Formula 1 sensation and new Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton uses the number 44 and has also set up a charity cause with the same number. His teammate Charles Leclerc uses number 16 as his birth date is October 16. He liked number 7, but he is satisfied that 1 and 6 total to number 7.
Just like Leclerc, Aston Martin racer Fernando Alonso also uses his birth date as his number. Alonso was born on July 14 and uses 14 as his race number. “When I was 14 years old, the 14th of July, and with the go-kart number 14, I was world champion. From that moment I had no doubt that 14 is my number," he said, as per motorsport.com.
Alpine driver Pierre Gasly has number 10 as his race number. He drew inspiration from fellow Frenchman, footballer Zinedine Zidane, who had number 10 as his jersey number.
Kick Sauber’s rookie driver Gabriel Bortoleto will be racing with number 5 on his jersey, the number held by former Formula 1 champion Sebastian Vettel until his retirement in 2022. His teammate Nico Hülkenberg, born on August 19, uses number 27, which is the sum of his birth date and month. It also has a connection with the late F1 champion Ayrton Senna, who had this number on his title-winning McLaren in 1990.
18-year-old rookie Kimi Antonelli, who has filled Lewis Hamilton’s seat at Mercedes, will be racing with number 12 in his debut F1 season. The number was used by Ayrton Senna in his own Grand Prix debut in 1985.
However, many have picked Senna’s number as an inspiration but late driver Jules Bianchi’s number 17 has not been claimed by anyone. Just like Senna, Bianchi too lost his life in a crash.
Also Read: How much does an F1 rookie earn? Comparing young drivers’ salaries
Red Bull
Max Verstappen #1
Liam Lawson #30
McLaren
Lando Norris #4
Oscar Piastri #81
Mercedes
Andrea Kimi Antonelli #12
George Russell #63
McLaren
Lando Norris #4
Oscar Piastri #81
Mercedes
Andrea Kimi Antonelli #12
George Russell #63
Alpine
Jack Doohan #7
Pierre Gasly #10
Aston Martin
Fernando Alonso #14
Lance Stroll #18
Ferrari
Charles Leclerc #16
Lewis Hamilton #44
Haas
Charles Leclerc #16
Lewis Hamilton #44
Haas
Esteban Ocon #31
Oliver Bearman #87
Kick Sauber
Gabriel Bortoleto #5
Nico Hulkenberg #27
Racing Bulls
Isack Hadjar #6
Yuki Tsunoda #22
Williams
Alex Albon #23
Carlos Sainz #55
The season is all set to begin in Melbourne on March 16. Six rookies out of 20 Formula 1 drivers will be competing at the Australian Grand Prix.