All the numbers used by F1 drivers over the last seven years

Lewis Hamilton's #44, Max Verstappen's #33 – Formula 1's driver number rule has resulted in drivers becoming synonymous with their chosen numbers since the rule was introduced in 2014.

Since that season, every driver taking part in an F1 race has to choose a number between two and 99, with that number then assigned to them for the remainder of their careers.

A driver's career is ruled to have finished two full seasons after their final campaign, freeing up the number for use again.

An exception to the rule is for the reigning World Champion, who can choose to race with the number 1 if they wish. Verstappen has opted to do so in 2022, meaning the number appears on an F1 car for a full season for the first time since Sebastian Vettel did the same in 2014.

The other number that cannot be chosen is number 17. That was the race number of Jules Bianchi, with the young French driver passing away in 2015 after succumbing to injuries he sustained in a crash at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix. His number was withdrawn by the FIA as a mark of respect.

Looking back over the years of the driver number rule, here is every number that has been used and the drivers who chose it.

Curiously, the majority of number choices are quite low, becoming more sparse as the numbers increase, before another small concentration in the higher numbers.