Esteban Gutierrez, Haas, Melbourne, 2016

De Vries takes number 21 and Honda name returns on FIA’s 2023 F1 entry list

2023 F1 season

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Nyck de Vries has chosen the race number 21 for his full-time Formula 1 debut with AlphaTauri next year.

His selection was confirmed in the official entry list for the 2023 F1 season which was published today by the FIA. The last driver to race as number 21 was Esteban Gutierrez in 2016. Drivers’ numbers become available if they go unused for two consecutive full seasons.

Oscar Piastri and Logan Sargeant, who will also make their debuts next year, have previously announced their chosen numbers.

In addition to the three newcomers, three other drivers have changed teams for the upcoming season. Nico Hulkenberg has returned to F1 with Haas, while Pierre Gasly has joined Alpine in place of Fernando Alonso who has moved to Aston Martin.

None of the teams have changed engine suppliers for the new season. However Red Bull’s power unit supplier, which was officially termed ‘Red Bull Powertrains’ last year, is now described as ‘Honda RBPT’.

Haas is also officially entered with the name of its new title sponsor which was announced in October.

FIA 2023 Formula 1 world championship entry list

NumberDriverCompanyTeamChassisEngine
1Max VerstappenRed Bull Racing LimitedOracle Red Bull RacingRed Bull RacingHonda RBPT
11Sergio Perez MendozaRed Bull Racing LimitedOracle Red Bull RacingRed Bull RacingHonda RBPT
16Charles LeclercFerrari SpaScuderia FerrariFerrariFerrari
55Carlos Sainz JnrFerrari SpaScuderia FerrariFerrariFerrari
63George RussellMercedes-Benz Grand Prix LimitedMercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One TeamMercedesMercedes
44Lewis HamiltonMercedes-Benz Grand Prix LimitedMercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One TeamMercedesMercedes
31Esteban OconAlpine Racing LimitedAlpine F1 TeamAlpineRenault
10Pierre GaslyAlpine Racing LimitedAlpine F1 TeamAlpineRenault
81Oscar PiastriMcLaren Racing LimitedMcLaren Formula 1 TeamMcLarenMercedes
4Lando NorrisMcLaren Racing LimitedMcLaren Formula 1 TeamMcLarenMercedes
77Valtteri Bottas Sauber Motorsport AGAlfa Romeo F1 Team ORLENAlfa RomeoFerrari
24Zhou GuanyuSauber Motorsport AGAlfa Romeo F1 Team ORLENAlfa RomeoFerrari
18Lance StrollAMR GP LimitedAston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One TeamAston Martin AramcoMercedes
14Fernando Alonso DiazAMR GP LimitedAston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One TeamAston Martin AramcoMercedes
20Kevin MagnussenHaas Formula LLCMoneyGram Haas F1 TeamHaasFerrari
27Nico HulkenbergHaas Formula LLCMoneyGram Haas F1 TeamHaasFerrari
21Nyck de VriesScuderia AlphaTauriScuderia AlphaTauriAlphaTauriHonda RBPT
22Yuki TsunodaScuderia AlphaTauriScuderia AlphaTauriAlphaTauriHonda RBPT
23Alexander AlbonWilliams Grand Prix Engineering LimitedWilliams RacingWilliamsMercedes
02Logan SargeantWilliams Grand Prix Engineering LimitedWilliams RacingWilliamsMercedes

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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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15 comments on “De Vries takes number 21 and Honda name returns on FIA’s 2023 F1 entry list”

  1. That will make fifth occasion where team-mates hold consecutive numbers since driver numbers were introduced:
    9 Ericsson/10 Kobayashi
    25 Vergne/26 Kvyat
    18 Stroll/19 Massa
    3 Ricciardo/4 Norris
    21 de Vries/22 Tsunoda

    1. I think we’re getting too obsessed over all kinds of stats to be honest…

      1. Shows how boring the sport has become.

    2. That means de Vries is the team nr. 1? I think Dex is right stats are fun but should be overbearing.

  2. Be in F1 long enough to become the villain or leave as a hero.

    Or come back again to become a honda

  3. I’m surprised how long he took to choose, considering he got formally confirmed on the Japanese GP weekend, while Sargeant got fully confirmed on the last race weekend some six weeks later & chose shortly after the weekend. Nevertheless, another number that someone (Gutierrez) had already used before since 2014 when the number-selection rule came.

    1. Coventry Climax
      15th December 2022, 17:26

      Maybe he doesn’t give a hoot? I wouldn’t.

    2. Coventry Climax
      15th December 2022, 17:41

      I still prefer the old system, where the drivers got numbered based on the championship order of the previous season.
      That gave it meaning, and makes it much easier to see what progress they make or steps back they take, compared to the previous season.
      Being identified by / associated with a number is like prisoners, or cows in a stable. Not my cup of tea.
      They already have a neat trick for that, which is called a ‘name’.

      Easier to see on track who’s who? Forget it, with the silly micro-size these numbers are put on the cars. It’s usually livery and wether the camera on top is yellow or not.

      1. I still prefer the old system, where the drivers got numbered based on the championship order of the previous season.

        I don’t, those numbers had no meaning, whereas now they’re part of the drivers’ identities. There aren’t many things from the last decade of Eccletone’s time in charge of F1 which I would hold up as an example of an improvement, but career racing numbers definitely were.

        1. Coventry Climax
          16th December 2022, 0:09

          OK, different meanings, that’s allowed – I hope.
          To me, those numbers did have meaning, more than they do now.
          And again, driver’s identities have nothing to do with the numbers they chose.
          Look at your own site, no driver is ever referred to by their number only, and rarely ever with a name and number.
          And the latter probably just in the articles about the new drivers chosing their number.

      2. Coventry Climax & @keithcollantine Watching those cars with different numbers just a year later was for the spectators on the tribune very hard to reconize drivers. I was one of those losing a bet because i mistaken my driver for his teammate.
        Certain in a time with no multimedia it was hard to get information you get from Keith’s website. Now days everyone want easy reconising things so different numbers would be seen as not cool…

        This system is very simple and understandable if you see nr. 44 this year or ten year ago you know it’s Lewis if they have diffenrent numbers you could mistake Lewis for his teammate….

  4. MoneyGram Haas F1 does not have a good ring to it.

  5. So do the commentators now call the driver in car 14 as Diaz or the driver formerly known as Alonso?

    1. I have an opinion
      16th December 2022, 9:57

      Fernando Maria Conchita Alonso Sanchez Vicario Senna da Silva

  6. Only if his mother’s driving
    (hopefully Lance would beat her)

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