George Russell’s race number in Formula 1, 63, has a special family connection. He explained that he chose this number because it was the number his older brother, Benjy, used in karting. The number 63 has remained in the family, and George Russell has continued to use it throughout his Formula 1 career.
In Formula 1, drivers have the opportunity to choose one permanent number between 2 and 99. Previously-used numbers are reserved for two years for drivers who are no longer on the grid, and the number 1 is reserved for the reigning World Champion.
Drivers have various reasons for choosing their numbers. Many opt to keep the numbers they had during their karting days, while others choose numbers with personal significance. For example, Jenson Button selected 22, the number he used during his championship-winning year in 2009, and Kimi Räikkönen chose 7, which he used while racing for Lotus the year before. Max Verstappen races with the number 1 as the reigning World Champion, while Lewis Hamilton has a personal attachment to the number 44, which he has used throughout his career.
