Two F1 drivers wanted the same race number for 2025 - this is what happened
F1 drivers must select a number which is permanent for their💦 whole career

Kimi Antꦐonelli and Jack Doohan both wanted the same race number for their rookie F1 season in 2025.
An🌃tonelli has won the tug-of-war over the coveted #12.
F1 regulations state that drivers must select a 🌺number which is permanent throughout their career.
A number only becomes vac𝓰ant if the pre🥀vious holder has been away from F1 for two seasons.
No driver has used #12 since 2019.
But Mercedes’ Antonelli and Alpine’s Doohan both wanted it.
“I have many numbers that I like, but 12 is a special one,” said Antonelli. “I have been using it since F4. It always went well, so there’s no reason to change it for next ye💦ar.”
Antonell🍸i ran with #12 when he drove for Mercedes in FP1 at the F1 Italian Grand Prix.
Notably, Ayr꧒ton Senna ran with #12 for several years in the 80s.
Antonelli must have applied for the #12 before Doohan in ord🍨er to have received the nod from the FIA.
“I wi✤ll choose #12," Doohan said before the number was taken by Antonelli.
"I've been thinking about i💞t o▨ver the summer break and then we locked it in, so 12 will be the number I start my Formula 1 season with."
Doohan must now choose a new number to kickstart his F1 career with, knowing it will follow him for his entire duration in theﷺ series.

James was a sports journalist at Sky 🤡Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.