Another name change for RB and new driver numbers revealed in 2025 F1 entry list

35 comments on “Another name change for RB and new driver numbers revealed in 2025 F1 entry list”

1. 

   Djangles LeVaughn (@royal-spark)
   13th December 2024, 16:05

   With the exception of Bearman, F1 rookies these days have a bad habit of recycling old driver numbers.
   1. 

      Icarus
      13th December 2024, 16:19

      Unless they go to three digit numbers there’s not much choice. There are only 98 unique choices since number 1 is reserved for the reigning champion if they choose to use it (as Max is). It’s only been ten years since the permanent numbers began being assigned, and already 44 unique numbers have been chosen, with about another 10 temporary numbers assigned to drivers doing test runs and such.
      1. 

         mantresx (@mantresx)
         13th December 2024, 18:25

         I still think it was a shame that the current numbering scheme started before 2017 as it would’ve meant Hamilton racing with the number 0, that will never happen now.
         1. 

            Jere (@jerejj)
            13th December 2024, 18:30

            @mantresx He would’ve still used 44.
         2. 

            An Sionnach
            13th December 2024, 21:59

            Wouldn’t he have raced with the number two in that case? When Mansell didn’t return for 1993 Williams had the numbers 0 and 2. Prost didn’t want to be a zero… so they gave that to Hill instead. Lewis would have had first choice in 2017 so Bottas would have been zero. Hill and Bottas… zero.
      2. 

         Richard J. Terry
         13th December 2024, 18:40

         97 other numbers. #17 has been officially retired.
   2. 

      SteveP
      13th December 2024, 17:33

      F1 rookies these days have a bad habit of recycling old driver numbers

      How much recycling do you want?

      Sauber newcomer Gabriel Bortoleto will use number five, as previously raced by Sebastian Vettel.

      I don’t think of Vettel when someone says number 5 and F1, nor do I think of Schumacher (Vettel did it as tribute to MS) – I think of “Red 5” Nigel Mansell (Or should that be Ni-gel Man-sell)

      Of course, NM is probably pre-birth for some people.
      1. 

         Richard J. Terry
         13th December 2024, 18:51

         Well, I’ve learnt something today. I genuinely thought Seb #5 was because of Mansell.
      2. 

         Djangles LeVaughn (@royal-spark)
         13th December 2024, 19:20

         Their numbers are going to be part of their identity, their brand in F1 for the next year (if they survive) or years to come (if they prove themselves). Three of the four new boys had a chance to distinguish themselves from previous competitors, but no.

         Whether it’s because of karting history, superstition, 1337-speak advertising or in Jack’s case emulating heroes’; today’s rookies still manage to narrow down their choice to something a few previous big-names and selected before them.

         And yes, I do associate 5 with Seb and 7 with Kimi; in the modern age at least.
         1. 

            EffWunFan (@cairnsfella)
            14th December 2024, 7:04

            F1 rookies these days have a bad habit of recycling old driver numbers

            What exactly makes it a bad habit. Or any sort of habit at all.

            It seems you want things to conform to your own individual way of seeing things. Fair enough you associate 5 with Vettel, but I will always associate it with Nige.

            If the number the drivers choose has been used before, then so what? And what do you want to do when all the 2 digit numbers have been used under the current system? Three digit numbers? (Meaning at some point no-one would have 2 digit numbers).

            Or maybe Hexadecimal???
            1. 

               Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
               14th December 2024, 8:07

               Letters, like the Leicester rugby team used to have on their backs.

               I hope they never go to three digits like the complete mess the Le Mans numbers have become.
   3. 

      Edvaldo
      13th December 2024, 17:33

      It’s not old drivers’ numbers, it’s just numbers.
      If they used said number in the lower categories they shouldn’t use it in F1 because someone else did it first?

      Doesn’t bother me.
2. 

   Sumedh
   13th December 2024, 16:43

   Didn’t Fernando call it Alpha Tauri one time during the season. Personally, I prefer Toro Rosso, it gave rise to some of the best drivers we know – Seb, Daniel, Max, Carlos, Pierre – and Toro Rosso is also a F1 winner.
   1. 

      Jere (@jerejj)
      13th December 2024, 17:33

      Yes, but Pierre & Charles have also kept on calling the team Alpha Tauri.
   2. 

      SteveP
      13th December 2024, 17:36

      I was quite taken with the “Cards R’ Us” tag I noted used in one podcast :)
   3. 

      Richard J. Terry
      13th December 2024, 18:48

      I still call them Alpha Tauri, too. Great livery that had! One of my favourites, in recent times – and like Torro Rosso, also a race winner.
3. 

   Jere (@jerejj)
   13th December 2024, 17:35

   Haas should be above VCARB since they finished 7th in the constructors’ championship standings & the latter 8th, so I’m surprised they’re placed the wrong way around on the entry list.
   1. 

      Jere (@jerejj)
      13th December 2024, 18:35

      I somehow failed to notice Bortoleto’s race number, which wasn’t reported anywhere, like driver number choices usually are.
      Nevertheless, choosing #5 as his permanent F1 race number means he’ll be third from the top in the default live timing appearance order & Bearman will be at the bottom unless Hadjar (based on high likelihood) chooses something from 88 to 99, which are all available.
      1. 

         Simon
         14th December 2024, 0:44

         “failed to notice”

         Sstop the presses!
         1. 

            Jere (@jerejj)
            15th December 2024, 6:45

            What presses? Noticing & pressing have nothing to do with each other.
            1. 

               SPArtacus
               15th December 2024, 23:49

               When ever both responding to him? Please ban this guy already, @Keith. The only time he posts is to harass Jere.
4. 

   bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
   13th December 2024, 17:48

   The fuss / bargaining / b-mail Bernie & Max made over Brawn being a different name.

   I think it was Fernando who was calling them ‘Mastercard’, I’m happy with that.
   1. 

      bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
      13th December 2024, 17:49

      Sorry, this team ‘Mastercard’, not Brawn. Though I bet Brawn had one.
5. 

   Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
   13th December 2024, 22:07

   Poor old TBC, his hopes of making it to F1 will be dashed yet again.
6. 

   Neil (@neilosjames)
   13th December 2024, 22:31

   It’s interesting seeing the full team names, and realising how few of the ‘title sponsors’ I actually notice while being an F1 fan. I’d completely forgotten Oracle from the Red Bull name, and Moneygram from Haas. I remembered Aramco and Aston Martin, but only when I read the list just now, and needed Google to tell me that ‘Scuderia Ferrari HP’ has been a thing since Miami 2024.

   The only ones I clearly and obvious associate are Mercedes and Petronas, BWT and Alpine , and Kick and Sauber. Oh, and Visa Cash App etc and Toro Racing Tauri, but I only remember that because it’s such a silly name.

   I’m sure ‘title sponsors’ used to be more obvious in the old days.
   1. 

      PeteB (@peteb)
      15th December 2024, 11:19

      It’s what I was saying last year when people were freaking out about Toro Rosso’s new name. No-one was ever going to call them Visa Cash App RB or whatever it was because no-one says Moneygram Haas or Oracle Red Bull.

      I don’t even think back in the day that people used to refer to the sponsor. It was always team-engine. McLaren-Mercedes, Williams-Renault etc…
7. 

   Coventry Climax
   14th December 2024, 0:01

   Anyone realised before that 11 is the ‘fool’s number’, in a couple of countries around the world?
   Very appropriate for the one using it.

   Other than that, I wish they’d go back to assigning numbers to drivers in order of what was achieved the previous season. That at least had meaning, and showed you instantly who had made progress and who seemed to lose speed, in relation to the others.
8. 

   Dane
   14th December 2024, 1:27

   Just go back to Minardi already.
   Changing names every year really keeps Racing Bulls/VCard/Alpha Tauri/Torro Rosso from having any sort of identity.
9. 

   SPArtacus
   14th December 2024, 3:19

   If they kept that Sauber Red Bull livery I’d forgive them their absurd name.
10. 

    jztemple
    14th December 2024, 4:36

    OK, maybe this is naive, but if we already have two numeral identifiers on cars, how hard would it be to just have each car show the official three letter driver identifier the FIA uses instead? Doesn’t need that much more space and it certainly would make it easier to remember who is in which car. It would make more sense nowadays since drivers have to keep the same number in their careers anyway.
11. 

    Janith
    14th December 2024, 5:42

    McLaren & Williams-the only two without sponsors.
    1. 

       Coventry Climax
       14th December 2024, 11:15

       Eh, Chrome, Okx or Oxx – something unreadable like that, these idiotic wheel spinners (Mickeysoft?), Cisco, DeWalt, and some obscure chocolate brand.
       Eh, Duracell, Komatsu, Dorilton obviously, some protein stuff and a company named Stephens, whatever they may do.

       That’s what comes to mind, but I’m sure there are many more that pay to have a tiny sticker put on there somewhere too.

       So what do you mean with ‘the only two without sponsors’? Can you put that in context for me please?
       You mean title sponsors maybe? Maybe that’s a departing trend? Does it matter?
       1. 

          GechiChan (@gechichan)
          16th December 2024, 6:44

          I think they reffered to title sponsor: like official name for the team. Most of them are called something like Oracle RedBull F1 team, or AMG Petronas Mercedes.

          But Ferrari also doesn’t have a title sponsor, have they?
12. 

    Sergey Martyn
    14th December 2024, 8:49

    Racing Bulls Spa?
    What about renaming them in 2026:
    Bracing Bulls resort and lounge
13. 

    Craig
    15th December 2024, 22:47

    And everyone will still call them AlphaTauri

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