It could be challenging to identify and locate your favorite drivers while driving on the circuits, which is why all drivers have their own unique numbers. Max Verstappen was given the privilege of having No. 1 after his two World Championship wins, as the rules after 2014 state that only the reigning world champion can use the number 1. With this, the question arises: why did Lewis Hamilton never use the number 1?
Lewis had gotten the chance to use the number one after the regulation change in 2014. But he didn’t go for it because of his relationship with the number 44 and its connection to his dad and his Karting days, making 44 one of the most recognisable numbers in the sport of Formula 1. It is often compared to Rossi’s 46 in MotoGP.
Go-karting beginning of Lewis Hamilton dynasty
When Lewis was asked about why he doesn’t use the number 1, he spoke about his go-karting days and how he came to keep this number on his kart.
Lewis Hamilton shared a story about when he got his first go-kart. He said that he saw the go-kart wrapped up even before he was supposed to and was really excited about opening it and driving it. He pretended to be surprised in front of his family, as he didn’t know what was inside the wrapping. paper.
He said “I remember how excited I was when I saw my first go-kart wrapped up in my living room. I saw it before I was supposed to and had to act all surprised when my parents called me in to open it. Even walked in with my back turned to it and acted like it wasn’t there.”
Lewis further elaborated that he won his first karting championship wearing the number 44 and that 44 was his family’s number as well.
Hamilton made his 30 year old selection permanent
Lewis made it clear that he would be using the number 44 for the rest of his career. He feels like the number is lucky for him and is connected to his dad. He said that the number 44 was his dad’s car’s registration number, F44,” so his dad took this number from the car and put it on young Lewis’s kart. Lewis went on to win a lot of Karting championships with his 44-number kart.
With his lucky number 44, Lewis has won seven world championships. Hamilton’s 44 was a gift from his father, Anthony. So far, Lewis has 104 poles, 195 podiums, and 103 race wins, even ahead of Michael Schumacher with 91.
To this day, Lewis Hamilton continues to race for Mercedes while wearing the number 44. The number sure has proved lucky for him, seeing the number of records and his performance over the years.
