Two F1 drivers wanted the same race number for 2025 - this is what happened
F1 drivers must select a number which is permanent for their whole career
Kimi Antonelli and Jack Doohan both wanted the same race number for their rookie F1 season in 2025.
Antonelli has won the tug-of-war over the coveted #12.
F1 regulations state that drivers must select a number which is permanent throughout their career.
A number only becomes vacant if the previous holder has been away from F1 for two seasons.
No driver has used #12 since 2019.
But Mercedes’ Antonelli and Alpine’s Doohan both wanted it.
“I have many numbers that I like, but 12 is a special one,” said Antonelli. “I have been using it since F4. It always went well, so there’s no reason to change it for next year.”
Antonelli ran with #12 when he drove for Mercedes in FP1 at the F1 Italian Grand Prix.
Notably, Ayrton Senna ran with #12 for several years in the 80s.
Antonelli must have applied for the #12 before Doohan in order to have received the nod from the FIA.
“I will choose #12," Doohan said before the number was taken by Antonelli.
"I've been thinking about it over the summer break and then we locked it in, so 12 will be the number I start my Formula 1 season with."
Doohan must now choose a new number to kickstart his F1 career with, knowing it will follow him for his entire duration in the series.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
