Three rookies wanted F1 race number ’12’

Three drivers have been locked in a tussle over the number 12.

Kimi Antonelli and Jack Doohan are preparing for their full-time Formula 1 race debuts in 2025 for the Mercedes and Alpine teams respectively - and both signalled their desire to race with the permanent number 12.

Sport1 reports that there were "heated discussions" about who should be allocated the number, which was made famous on Ayrton Senna’s McLaren en route to his first world championship title in 1988.

Antonelli, 18, was wearing the number 12 on his Mercedes when he made his official practice debut at Monza - and crashed. "It is the number of one of my idols," the Italian confirmed.

"I have many numbers that I like, but 12 is a special one," he added. "I have been using it since F4 and it always went well, so there’s no reason to change it for next year."

But around the same time, Doohan was also laying claim to number 12. Instead, he will revive Kimi Raikkonen’s old number 7 from 2025 and beyond.

"I really wanted to go with a number that I raced with before, something that had meaning for me," said the Australian.

"I raced with number 7 in 2019 and also one of my idols, a super special person and driver Kimi Raikkonen, drove that number. I’m really looking forward to continuing it on and making it my own - and getting some luck from number 7."

Franco Colapinto also expressed a desire to race with the number 12, but not because of Senna. Instead, fans of the Argentinean football team Boca Juniors are known as ’La 12’.

"43 is also a number that I am very attached to, I have used it often in my career," said the Williams rookie.