With six drivers about to make their full-time F1 debuts, several new race numbers will be appearing on the grid when the 2025 season gets underway.
But how did Kimi Antonelli, Ollie Bearman, Gabriel Bortoleto, Jack Doohan, Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson select their numbers for their first full campaigns? We’ve delved into the story behind each driver’s choice…
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Kimi Antonelli – #12
The number 12 was hot property this year, with both Kimi Antonelli and fellow rookie Jack Doohan keen to take it. But it was Antonelli who beat the Australian to the post, meaning that his Mercedes will run with what he has called a “special” number.
Antonelli previously used #12 in his title-winning campaigns in the 2022 Italian and German F4 series, as well as running it when he clinched the Middle East and European Formula Regional championships in 2023.
And it is no coincidence that the number was sported by another F1 legend of the past and one of Antonelli’s idols – that being a certain Ayrton Senna. The Brazilian great raced with #12 for three seasons with Lotus between 1985 and 1987, taking his first win in F1 in Portugal in 1985.