Traditionally, the reigning world champion in Formula 1 races as No. 1. But since 2014, when the FIA first allowed drivers to choose their own race numbers, Hamilton has used No. 44 – despite winning the championship six times since then. In 2019, when he finished 2nd in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year vote (behind cricketer Ben Stokes) he explained that this was the number that he had on his go–kart when he began competing at eight years old. He and his father originally chose it because the registration plate on his father's red Vauxhall Cavalier included 'F44'.
© Haydn Thompson 2022