Three rookies entering Formula 1 have been vying for the iconic race number 12, a number famously associated with Ayrton Senna's first world championship title in 1988.
Kimi Antonelli, Jack Doohan, and Franco Colapinto all expressed interest in using the number for their permanent F1 careers, leading to what Sport1 described as "heated discussions" about who should get it.
Antonelli, who will debut with Mercedes in 2025, was seen sporting the number 12 on his car during his official practice debut at Monza earlier this year. Despite a crash in the session, the number holds deep significance for the 18-year-old Italian.
"It is the number of one of my idols," Antonelli said. "I have many numbers that I like, but 12 is a special one. I have been using it since F4 and it always went well, so there's no reason to change it for next year."
However, Alpine's new recruit Jack Doohan also laid claim to the number, which led to the eventual decision for him to adopt Kimi Raikkonen's famous number 7 instead.
"I really wanted to go with a number that I raced with before, something that had meaning for me," the Australian said. "I raced with number 7 in 2019, and also one of my idols, a super special person and driver Kimi Raikkonen, drove that number.
"I'm really looking forward to continuing it on and making it my own—and getting some luck from number 7."
Williams rookie Franco Colapinto also had his eyes on the number 12, but for a very different reason. The Argentine driver drew inspiration from his country's football heritage, as fans of Boca Juniors are famously known as 'La 12.'
"43 is also a number that I am very attached to, I have used it often in my career," Colapinto noted.
