Lewis Hamilton on why he doesn’t use number 1 on his car

© Steve Etherington for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.

When a driver wins the Formula 1 championship, next year he has the option of putting number 1 on his car. Lewis Hamilton chooses not to do so.

Ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton revealed that, as always, he won’t be racing with number 1 on his car if he wins the championship.

“I don’t consider myself the champion that year, I consider myself the one that’s fighting for a championship,” Lewis told the media.

If Lewis does win the title, he will surpass Michael Schumacher and become the only person in history to win the F1 championship eighth times.

However, he says this doesn’t change his approach to the title fight.

“At the moment, it just feels like another championship for me. I don’t look at it as a multiple, I always look at every season and every year, as you start from ground zero and you’re fighting.


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“You’re the hunter and you’re fighting from the moment you start training, the moment you get into the new year, and you’re training, focused on winning.”

So, if Lewis wins he will have his usual number 44 on the car. Back in 2019 the Briton revealed why he picked that number.

“Of course each year I start basically it’s a new fresh start for everyone,” he said at BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year award ceremony.

“I always start with number 44 because that’s the number that I had on my go-kart when I was eight years old.

“It was my dad’s car registration number, F44, so each year it’s just a new chance to rise to the challenge,” concluded Hamilton.

Max Verstappen, on the other hand, has revealed he will use number 1 on his car if he wins the title.

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