Mercedes

Mercedes star reveals family ties led him to MAJOR F1 decision

Matthew Hobkinson Saturday 12 August 2023 10:57

Mercedes star reveals family ties led him to MAJOR F1 decision

George Russell has revealed that he chose the number 63 for his Formula 1 car, due to his brother opting for the same digits back when he was go-karting as a kid.

F1 drivers make a career-long commitment to their car number, so a lot of thought rightly goes into the decision as to what exactly that should be.

There is only one way that a driver can change their number, but that involves the small task of winning a world title.

F1 rules state that a reigning champion can swap to No. 1 should they wish, something that Max Verstappen has now carried for two seasons as he goes in pursuit of his third world championship – temporarily ditching his usual No. 33.

Russell's family ties

George Russell has the No 63 on display when driving for Mercedes

And Russell, who has the No. 63 adorned on his car, has revealed that it was a family link that saw him opt for it in the first place.

“Well I am number 63 because that was the number my brother used to race with when he was in go karting,” he told Mercedes’ official YouTube channel.

“When he started, that was the number that was assigned to him and has been a family number ever since. So, [it’s] in the family!”

F1 drivers by number

1 Max Verstappen (Also 33)

2 Logan Sargeant

21 Nyck de Vries

23 Alex Albon

24 Zhou Guanyu

27 Nico Hulkenberg

63 George Russell

81 Oscar Piastri

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