Driver numbers.

In F1 today you have 22 cars lined up on the grid with a set of numbers on them that pretty much have no meaning to anyone but the officials.

A problem that I noticed at the Australian Grand Prix a few weeks ago was that people were sporting merchandise which seemed odd in todays context, such as "Massa #6" on the back of a Ferrari jumper, when this year it is his team-mate who is sporting that number.
Call me silly, but wouldn't it make much more marketing sense (as well as common sense) if driver's weren't chopping and changing numbers every season? Personally, I would be much more reassured if I spent $150 on a team jacket which at least had the drivers numbers on it which were applicable for more than one season. The only team in recent years to actually have benefited from this was Ferrari gear from 2001-2005.
At the moment, driver numbers are basically useless as they basically have no marketing value whatsoever. Personally I don't see why the FIA don't just go back to the system where each team is designated 2 numbers. Fans would actually be able to instantly recognise the numbers and be able to draw links to each driver from those numbers.
Or better still, let each driver choose his own racing number, which is applicable no matter what team they drive for. Look at how recognisable Valentino Rossi and teh late Dale Earnhardt are by their racing numbers alone.
It is simple, but it would be mighty effective, for both fans and merchandise buyers.

If I recall in around 2003, the FIA DID actually impose a regulation stating teams would keep their same race numbers from season to season exatly for this consistency of marketing for merchandise etc and opened opportunities for, in the same vein of the Earnhardt#3 example, could have seen Ferrari adopt the #27/#28 numbers owing to that tradition etc yet, I think it fell down on the whole status of,if you are champion, you want the #1 on your car!

Personally I like the current situation of numbers - weve never had this issue as in say American racing where commentators refer to the '7 car' or the '42 car' etc so if youve never had it, you dont miss it.

Every year the team's standings change and who has become better, will start protesting. For top teams it's maybe important in marketing to have a small number for having been competitive - "Hey, we are good and that number indicates that."

In 2001 FIA tried to 'freeze' car numbers, but Sauber vetod it, because they were having a good season and their car numbers were likely to get smaller for next season.

That might be an interesting idea to let everyone choose himself his own number, assuming that everyone wouldn't want the same number. :p :

I think the current system is ok, though in modern day F1 numbers are fairly meaningless.
One thing I don't understand, why is Albers car 21 to Sutil's 20? Shouldn't it be the other way round? I know Sutil's younger, but even if Albers didn't score any points last year he was still classified, he finished 22nd I think.

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Originally Posted by Nikki Katz

I think the current system is ok, though in modern day F1 numbers are fairly meaningless.
One thing I don't understand, why is Albers car 21 to Sutil's 20? Shouldn't it be the other way round? I know Sutil's younger, but even if Albers didn't score any points last year he was still classified, he finished 22nd I think.

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There was a news item about it not so long ago...something to do with Albers' superstition about always having an odd number on his car throughout his career - like when Rubens requested 11 because it was a lucky number last year

I've noticed the numbers are looking bigger this season, and Honda even have them back on the rear wing endplates! I think going back to the system they had from 1974-95 would be good, with numbers "frozen" and swapped around and occasionally sorted when needs be, would be good - although I DON'T want to see a switch to the US system where a number is just like a franchise or marketing tool - rather than anything with any meaning.

In terms of merchandise I'm sure the teams dont mind the numbers changing. Its an excuse to sell the same thing to the same person twice, just with a different number so its up to date. Its not like they wouldn't release 2007 stuff anyway.

Please, don't, don't, don't go the NASCAR route! If I see one more SUV or city pickup with a #3 or #8 in the window, I will vomit.

Actually the F1 numbering system is pretty simple - the defending World Champion is #1, his teammate is #2. After that, teams are ranked according to finish in the previous year's WCC (so Fisichella is #3 because Renault won, but Fernando switched teams). The teams decided which driver gets the lower number (Button gave Barrichello #11 last year and took #12). No one gets #13.

That's not so hard, is it?

ClarkFan

The numbers are pretty meaningless in modern F1, yet it must be one of the only racing formulae that still allocates mandatory numbers to its competitors! If a team/driver requests a particular number, why shouldn't they be entitled to have it? Dan Wheldon declined to use the #1 last year, Rossi is always #46, Plato is #11 despite having the right to #3...

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Originally Posted by Simmi

In terms of merchandise I'm sure the teams dont mind the numbers changing. Its an excuse to sell the same thing to the same person twice, just with a different number so its up to date. Its not like they wouldn't release 2007 stuff anyway.

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that's the reason I think the teams will use to oppose to a number "freezing"

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Originally Posted by ClarkFan

That's not so hard, is it?

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It's hard if half of your wardrobe goes out of date every year because it contains your driver's number.

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Originally Posted by V12

There was a news item about it not so long ago...something to do with Albers' superstition about always having an odd number on his car throughout his career - like when Rubens requested 11 because it was a lucky number last year

I've noticed the numbers are looking bigger this season, and Honda even have them back on the rear wing endplates! I think going back to the system they had from 1974-95 would be good, with numbers "frozen" and swapped around and occasionally sorted when needs be, would be good - although I DON'T want to see a switch to the US system where a number is just like a franchise or marketing tool - rather than anything with any meaning.

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that could get a problem if Albers switched to a team with the world champion (lol)

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Originally Posted by gjalie

that could get a problem if Albers switched to a team with the world champion (lol)

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Than they are all safe! ;)

Why does no one get 13?

13 means bad luck.

because of the old superstition? Or did cars with 13 crash fatally alot? Because the Japanese have their own "bad" number and Sato still drove with it on his car.

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Originally Posted by Shifter

Because the Japanese have their own "bad" number and Sato still drove with it on his car.

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And look what happened to him that year.......... ;)

ClarkFan

I think the problem we have is the perception that the number belongs to the driver. It doesn't. It belongs to the car, with the exception of #1. That's Alonso's for the time being.

I guess you have three options for car numbers, each with their own pros and cons.

Firstly, you've got the current system which numbers teams in order of championship finish. This works from a status point-of-view as the lower the number, the better you are. It's not so good from an American-style personal number point-of-view as drivers don't have any association with a number that keeps changing.

Secondly, you have the system we had prior to the current system in which teams had their own numbers and only the #1 changed hands. This is good from a team identification persepective. Ferrari became synonomous with #27 and #28, for example. The problem with this system is that a team could lose it's identifying numbers and never get them back. For example, if Ferrari were 27/28 and won the championship from Renault they would be 1/2 the next season and Renault would take 27/28. If McLaren then took the title from Ferrari, they would have the 1/2 and Ferrari would have McLaren's old numbers. Ferrari may never get 27/28 back again depending on their and Renault's relative performances.

The third system would be the American-style system of driver's having personal numbers that stayed with them no matter who they drove for. This is great for personal branding and marketing as a driver and number become synonomous. Of course, this would mean that teams would have two cars with non-consecutive numbers which doesn't work well with F1's sense of a team. F1 likes it's teams to have consecutive numbers for that same reason that it forbids two team cars in different liveries, ie. uniformity.

Personally, I would like to see a return to teams keeping their numbers. It would have been good to see the #27 Ferrari being traced back from Kimi through Schumi, Alesi, Prost and Mansell all the way back to Gilles.

Of course, the numbers would have to be big enough on the cars to be able to be seen, but that's another matter entirely.

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Originally Posted by Hawkmoon

Secondly, you have the system we had prior to the current system in which teams had their own numbers and only the #1 changed hands. This is good from a team identification persepective. Ferrari became synonomous with #27 and #28, for example. The problem with this system is that a team could lose it's identifying numbers and never get them back. For example, if Ferrari were 27/28 and won the championship from Renault they would be 1/2 the next season and Renault would take 27/28. If McLaren then took the title from Ferrari, they would have the 1/2 and Ferrari would have McLaren's old numbers. Ferrari may never get 27/28 back again depending on their and Renault's relative performances.

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An exception to this rule was 1993 when Williams went from 5/6 to 0/2, McLaren went from 1/2 to 7/8, and Benetton went from 19/20 to 5/6.

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Originally Posted by Hawkmoon

The third system would be the American-style system of driver's having personal numbers that stayed with them no matter who they drove for. This is great for personal branding and marketing as a driver and number become synonomous. Of course, this would mean that teams would have two cars with non-consecutive numbers which doesn't work well with F1's sense of a team. F1 likes it's teams to have consecutive numbers for that same reason that it forbids two team cars in different liveries, ie. uniformity.

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MotoGP would be a better example of this number system, as they went from your average "number according to championship position" to nominal numbers within the last 15 years - and they still retain team liveries.

Non-consecutive numbers doesn't detract from their teams, and considering an official 500cc/MotoGP championship has existed longer than F1's has, I see no reason why F1 teams would be fussed at all.

And yes, the teams have to fix the number visibility problem out first.

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Originally Posted by call_me_andrew

It's hard if half of your wardrobe goes out of date every year because it contains your driver's number.

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Serves you right for buying into the merchandise hype. :)

I want the driver number could be more visibly painted on car, the reigning champion have authority whether will use number 1 or to retain his own number of which the fans simply know their driver from the driver number.

Number 46, 3, (and should be 69 too) of sportbike is the easy example to easily identify the rider.