What are the driver numbers on the 2025 F1 grid and what do they mean?

#1: Max Verstappen

Since 2022, Max Verstappen has proudly sported the number 1 reserved for the world champion, a tradition he will continue in 2025. Before that, the Dutchman used number 33. However, this number was not his first choice. When he started in F1 in 2015, he initially wanted number 3, his lucky number. However, it was already taken by Daniel Ricciardo. « My favorite number is 3, but since it was already in use, I simply doubled the number to bring myself twice as much luck! », he explained at the time.

#4: Lando Norris

Lando Norris is a big admirer of Valentino Rossi, MotoGP legend, famous for his number 46. Although he considered adopting this number at the start of his F1 career, the McLaren driver ultimately chose the number 4, as a way to pay tribute while distinguishing himself from his idol.

#5: Gabriel Bortoleto

Gabriel Bortoleto will make his F1 debut with number 5, a number rich in history. It has been worn by champions like Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Michael Schumacher, and Fernando Alonso during his first title in 2005. The Brazilian, who is part of the agency founded by Fernando Alonso, A14 Management, continues this tradition. Since 2014, only Sebastian Vettel has used this number. A lucky number?

#6: Isack Hadjar

For his first F1 season, Isack Hadjar will wear the number 6, a number that has accompanied him since his karting beginnings. He recently published a photo of himself as a child in a kart with this number, with the caption: Road to F1: accomplished! Chapter 2, here we go! #6. Although the Frenchman has not yet explained his precise attachment to this number, he has made it his personal brand. This number has seen many world champions, including Nico Rosberg, who wore the number 6 during his 2016 victory.

#7: Jack Doohan

The number 7 was not Jack Doohan’s first choice. The Australian would have preferred number 12, but Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who is also starting in F1 in 2025, was quicker to submit his request to the FIA. Jack Doohan then turned to number 7, an iconic number in Formula 1, long worn by Kimi Räikkönen. He will make his F1 debut with Alpine next season. “I really wanted to choose a number that had meaning for me, one that I had already raced with. I used number 7 in 2019, and one of my idols, Kimi Räikkönen, also drove with this number. He is a very special driver and person to me. I can’t wait to wear this number and make it my own, hoping it brings me luck,” he stated.

#10: Pierre Gasly

For Pierre Gasly, it’s the number 10. A football enthusiast, the Norman chose this number in tribute to Zinédine Zidane, the legend of the French team. As luck would have it, now with Alpine, a brand represented by Zidane as an ambassador, Pierre Gasly continues to honor the famous tricolor number. This choice is also symbolic: he won the 2013 Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup edition with this same number.

#12: Andrea Kimi Antonelli

Andrea Kimi Antonelli will wear the number 12 during his F1 debut in 2025. “It’s a special number for me, which I’ve used since F4. It has always brought me luck, so I have no reason to change,” he stated in Monza after his confirmation with Mercedes. He wore this number during Free Practice 1 in Monza at the wheel of the W15. Before him, the number 12 was only used once in F1 by Felipe Nasr, in 2015 and 2016.

#14: Fernando Alonso

For Fernando Alonso, the number 14 is an inevitability dictated by destiny. « It’s been my lucky number since 1996. At 14, on July 14th, with kart number 14, I became World Champion for the first time. Since then, I’ve never left it », confides the Spaniard, for whom this number is inseparable from his history.

#16: Charles Leclerc

Just like Max Verstappen, the choice of the number 16 was not the first option for Charles Leclerc. When he made his F1 debut in 2018, the Monegasque initially wanted to sport the number 7, his favorite number. However, this number was already taken by Kimi Räikkönen, whom he would replace at Ferrari in 2019. He then turned to the number 10, but Pierre Gasly had already reserved it after his Grand Prix debut a few weeks earlier. Finally, Charles Leclerc opted for the number 16, as a tribute to his birth date, October 16th, and because the sum of the two digits (1 + 6) equals… 7. Clever.

#18: Lance Stroll

The n°18 of Lance Stroll does not come from his karting career, but from his beginnings in single-seaters. The Canadian made a mark by winning the Italian Formula 4 championship with this number. Shortly after celebrating his 18th birthday, he made his F1 debut with Williams, wearing the same number. “I’m a little superstitious and I like to hold on to the little things that matter to me. I don’t want to change them,” says the Aston Martin driver.

#22: Yuki Tsunoda

Originally, Yuki Tsunoda wanted to use number 11, his favorite since his karting days, but Sergio Perez had already taken it. The Japanese driver therefore doubled this number to choose number 22, which he also likes. « It’s also the number of Jenson Button, a driver I admire a lot who was world champion in 2009. Takuma Sato, another Japanese driver, also used it, » explains Yuki Tsunoda.

#23: Alexander Albon

Alexander Albon’s number 23 is closely linked to Lando Norris’s. While Norris opted for number 4, inspired by Valentino Rossi’s number 46, Albon chose the exact half of the MotoGP legend’s number. Additionally, this number holds significance in sports, worn by icons like Michael Jordan and LeBron James in basketball.

#27: Nico Hülkenberg

Nico Hülkenberg opted for number 27 by playing with the numbers of his birth date: August 19th (19/08). By adding 19 and 8, he gets 27, a choice as simple as it is logical for him.

#30: Liam Lawson

The New Zealander chose number 30, a number dear to his heart since his karting debut. “It’s the number I’ve worn since I was eight years old, inspired by a mentor who guided me during my first year of karting. He raced with number 30 and taught me everything about karting. I kept this number in his honor, and he was thrilled when I introduced it in Formula 1,” he recounted in 2024.

#31: Esteban Ocon

Translate: For Esteban Ocon, the choice of number 31 goes back to his beginnings in karting. The Norman wore this number when he won the French Championship in the Minime category in 2007. Since then, this number has never left him, notably during his first F1 test with Lotus in 2014. “This is my best year so far, and that’s why I will use 31 for the rest of my career,” he explains.

#44: Lewis Hamilton

The legendary number 44 of Lewis Hamilton also dates back to his early days in karting. At the age of 8, not knowing which number to choose, he drew inspiration from his father’s car license plate, which started with « F44 ». This number brought him luck and became a symbol. Lewis Hamilton even found other meanings for it: +44 is the UK’s dialing code, and the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, made history by becoming the first Black president. Symbolically, Hamilton, the first Black world champion in F1, made 44 an integral part of his identity.

#55: Carlos Sainz

Carlos Sainz chose number 55 as a compromise between his personal taste and a marketing idea. His first choice, number 19, was already taken by Felipe Massa. He then wanted number 5, worn by Fernando Alonso in 2005, but Sebastian Vettel had also reserved it. Carlos Sainz therefore doubled number 5 to get number 55, which suits his branding « Carlo55ainz ».

#63: George Russell

George Russell’s number 63 is a family affair. The Briton chose it in tribute to his older brother, who practiced karting. « My brother started with indoor karting and wore the number 63, probably assigned randomly. He was the fastest in that center and kept that number. When I took over, I decided to adopt it myself », explains the Mercedes driver.

#81: Oscar Piastri

Like many drivers, Oscar Piastri adopted his favorite number, 81, during his karting debut. This choice, although accidental, has a unique story. “For my first race, I had to choose a number, but the karting shop I went to only had number 1s in stock. Since I couldn’t be number 1, I took 11 for my first two races. Then, at the Victoria State titles, 11 was already taken. I changed the first digit to an 8, without much thought, and 81 has stuck with me ever since!” he explains.

#87: Oliver Bearman

Oliver Bearman will have his first full season in F1 with Haas using the number 87, a number filled with family emotion. Although he started with provisional numbers (number 37 in Saudi Arabia, number 50 in Azerbaijan and Brazil), he returns to his favorite number. This choice pays tribute to his father, himself a former driver, who inspired him by combining the birth dates of the Bearman sons: May 8 for Oliver and August 7 for his brother. “It’s the number I’ve worn since my beginnings, and I’m happy to represent it in F1,” he shares.