Driver numbers

[rufus_mcdufus]

i've never taken any notice of numbers. Helmet colour is the thing I notice.
To the casual viewer I can't see numbers really meaning anything and driver initials would be a better idea.

 

[teabagyokel]

Initials? Is that a good idea? Remember Ferrari's "RB" headphones? I often wondered if Rory, Ross and Rubens had to fight over them?

 

[sushifiesta]

I'd rather this than big numbers personally:

But I think it's fairly clear that teams don't want to waste space with big numbers and names on the cars anyway. Every square inch lost is potential sponsorship money lost.

 

[Galahad]

The Indycar teams have always managed to have big numbers and they're in more need of sponsorship than the F1 teams, generally speaking. I wonder whether, internationally, Arabic numerals are more or less widely understood than Latin characters?

I did like it when the teams kept the same numbers from year to year, unless they had the champion. I also miss cars being numbered in the 30s.

 

[Viscount]

They tested a driver nameplate on the rear 'shark fin' at one of the young driver tests.

 

[Kamui-FastestChefInTheWorld]

Or you could just use the camera roll-hoop to tell

 

[gethinceri]

They should make the drivers shout their own names loud enough to be picked up on trackside mic's throughout every session. That would do for sure.

 

[tonyw151]

Initials? Is that a good idea? Remember Ferrari's "RB" headphones? I often wondered if Rory, Ross and Rubens had to fight over them?

All I can say to that is Brabham in '91 and Ligier in '93. Woul have needed large print and no initials

 

[rufus_mcdufus]

Not sure I recall Rory or Ross driving for any teams though
The initials are good enough to differentiate the drivers in the onscreen graphics etc...

 

[Mephistopheles]

There is a big problem with the drivers name on the car thing and that is advertising space, sponsors pay a lot of money to get their name on the car and every available space is valuable, hence the teeny tiny drivers names near the cockpit...

Personally I wouldn't mine each driver having a completely different livery on the car like they used to do in cart, nobody could mistake one driver from another then, I believe BAR wanted to do this when they first entered F1 and it was disallowed by the FIA hence the terrible livery they carried with a big zip down the middle of the car...

 

[teabagyokel]

rufus_mcdufus - the initials are not used, three letter codes are. And they would have to print them smaller.

 

[rufus_mcdufus]

Oh three letter codes, that's what I mean!

 

[Bill Boddy]

It has always been nice to see the drivers name in large letters, see the McLaren above. This is only done in testing sessions and anywhere else where they do not get paid sponsorship fees.

 

[Il_leone]

Schumacher was superstitious about odd numbers, not my bag but if that was what made him happy, and Rosberg didn't mind, what's the big deal. When Nakajima came into F1 he was given the number 4, which is unlucky in Japan, so was given the number 3 car to keep him happy. You will also note that there is no No.13 in F1 so it appears the FIA is superstitious also.

------------------------------------

As Des Kelly put it in the Daily Mail at the time when Schumacher wanted car No 3 after Rosberg was officially entered as car No 3


" So Schumacher is superstitious about car numbers which goes as far as letting everyone know who is the lead driver !"

 

[Il_leone]

Next years car numbers

1 Vettel
2 Webber - for the 3rd year in a row
3 Alonso
4 Massa - the unlucky tag of car No 4 never winning the drivers title goes to poor old Felipe and away from Lewis
5 Button - I believe this will be RED 5 !
6.Perez
7. Raikkonen
8. Grosjean
9 Hamilton - a statement of being the lead driver
10 Rosberg
11 Hulkenberg
12 Gutierez

etc

 

[Mephistopheles]

OMG somebody reads the Daily Mail.....

 

[Speshal]

I don't give a toss about numbers really, when it comes up on screen "Incident involving cars x and y will be investigated after the race" within 10 seconds Brundle will come on and say "That's where Grosjean hit Maldonado" or some such.

 

[Olivier]

I like numbers, in the old days when advertisement hadn't taken over completely you could see them clearly and they had a meaning. Like in Ferrari 27 (although you could argue 12 was also a number linked to Ferrari since that Lauda's number when he won his 1st WDC). Also Renault had their own numbers for a while:

I think they used to play with the colours (red for Prost, blue for Arnoux ... or was it the other way around)?

 

[The Pits]

Whilst we are on the subject, does anyone know if Nigel Mansell's Red 5 was anything to do with Star Wars?

 

[F1 Shift.net]

I wish the drivers chose whatever number they wanted and the champion's number would be red