Two F1 drivers wanted the same race number for 2025 - this is what happened

F1 drivers must select a number which is perman💙e🌸nt for their whole career

Kimi Antonelli
Kimi Antonelli

Kimi Antonelli and Jack Doohan both wanted the same ✨race number for their rookie F1 season in 2025.

Antonelli has won the t🐷ug-of-war over the ꧟coveted #12.

F1 regulations state that dr🍸ivers must select a number which is permanent throughout their career.

A number only becomes vacant if the previous ൩holder 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 s🤡pecial 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 a♔t the F1 Italian Grand Prix.

Notably, Ayrto🐈n Senna ran with #12 for several years in the 80s.

Antonelli must hav🙈e applied for the #12 before Doohan in order to have received the nod from ﷺthe FIA.

“I will choose #12," Doohan said before the number waꦇs 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 sta💯rt 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 en♔tire duration in the series.

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