Jack Doohan, Doohan, Baku City Circuit, 2024

Doohan to use “idol” Raikkonen’s racing number seven when he makes F1 debut

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Jack Doohan will use the same career number as one of his racing heroes when he makes his grand prix debut next year.

He has chosen to take over the number seven, last used by Kimi Raikkonen, when he arrives in F1 with Alpine next year.

“I really wanted to go with a number that I raced with before, something that had meaning for me,” he said in a video released by Alpine. “I raced with number seven in 2019.”

Doohan used the number that year when he drove for Double R, a Formula 3 team founded by Raikkonen and his manager Steve Robertson, in Euroformula Open.

Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus, Monza, 2013
Raikkonen first race as number seven in 2013
“Also one of my idols, a super special person and driver, Kimi Raikkonen, also drove with that number,” Doohan added. “I’m really looking forward to continuing it on and make it my own and getting some luck from number seven.”

Raikkonen’s number became available for use at the beginning of this year as he retired at the end of the 2021 season.

The Finnish world champion first used the number when it was allocated to him in 2013, the final year before F1 first introduced permanent career numbers. At the time Raikkonen drove for Lotus, which was later taken over by Renault and rebranded as Alpine.

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When F1 first gave drivers the opportunity to choose a permanent number, Raikkonen originally considered a change. “There was a chance that I’d take six because I won the championship with it,” he said. “But I knew that [Nico] Rosberg wanted it because his father won the championship with it so I just kept what I had.”

Raikkonen started 176 races as number seven, the most of any driver, and more than half of his 349 career starts.

Jack Doohan, Double R, Euroformula Open, Pau, 2019
Doohan last used number seven in 2019

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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23 comments on “Doohan to use “idol” Raikkonen’s racing number seven when he makes F1 debut”

  1. Still don’t get why nobody has chosen 42 yet. It’s pretty significant after all.

    1. What’s so significant about 42 particularly?
      I get 43 because of Valentino Rossi, but I can’t think of anything particular regarding 42, F1-related or otherwise.

      1. AllTheCoolNamesWereTaken
        25th November 2024, 17:43

        What’s so significant about 42 particularly?

        I’m guessing you’re not a “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” fan ;-)

        1. AllTheCoolNamesWereTaken Correct & I’ve never even heard of such a franchise.

          @bernasaurus I could’ve never guessed or realized.

      2. @jerejj It’s the answer to life, the universe, and everything.

        1. Classic!

        2. correct!

      3. @jere
        Rossi #43?
        Where did that come from?

        1. @davedai Valentino Rossi, of course.

          1. Nooooo I’ve been following #46 for more than a decade thinking it was Vale.
            And he was really #43 ? Boo Hiss I want my money back.
            Who was I following?

          2. @davedai Sorry, I mixed up 43 & 46, but nevertheless, my original point of understanding still stands.

      4. The Rossi who did get to race in F1 – Alexander – used “idol” Herbie’s number 53. Possibly my favourite reason for choosing a number.

    2. I’m also confused as to why no one has chosen 66 yet, it’s the last “same double digit number” number that hasn’t been used since 2014.

  2. I’m surprised he didn’t choose his number shortly after the Dutch GP weekend when he got formally announced, which consequently meant he couldn’t pick 12, which was his first preference, to my knowledge, until Antonelli chose it.
    Based on Kimi’s words from late 2013, I’m surprised he avoided choosing 6 just because Nico Rosberg wanted it even though other drivers’ preferences aren’t a must to consider when making a choice.
    Consequently, Kimi’s choice meant Leclerc couldn’t choose 7 when he was becoming a full-time driver, which was his preference.

    1. Doohan could/can choose his number anytime he wanted, as long as it’s before the entry deadline?

      1. True, but drivers normally tend to do so soon afterwards rather than wait.

  3. Number 7 was likely to be hotly contested, hot property anyway.

  4. What I love about this is that Kimi only chose 7 because although he didnt care he had to pick something and he had no7 the year before under the old numbering system. Now that very number is being given a mythical quality by a fan of his.

  5. Number 7 – aha! That ‘belonged’ to Sir Stirling Moss, Kimi was a respected ‘borrower’ of Number 7.

  6. Don’t you mean “if”, given the rumours…

    1. No. He was never going to get belatedly replaced by Colapinto anyway, so fake claims from the get-go, especially as they never came from Alpine, & they wouldn’t have decided to give him a chance after the Sainz rejection only to go back on that decision later, but instead they would’ve offered a drive to someone like Bottas or Magnussen as Doohan wasn’t literally their only option besides Sainz.
      Furthermore, a regular race number selection wouldn’t have happened either if he weren’t going to compete in the end.

  7. I am glad #12 is being chosen by Antonelli, it has been available for a while and it’s a number with some history.
    #7 will always remind me of Kimi.
    Someone should pick the #13, since Maldonado no one seems interested. It’s obviously the lowest number that never won, but it has also appeared very rarely. The next lowest number like this (no wins) is the #29, I believe.
    Also no one seems to be keen on the #15, it’s the lowest number no one has chosen since this system started in 2014.

    1. And do not forget number 17, that is banned from choosing.
      Always connected to jules Bianchi.

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