24.2.10

A few years ago I wrote a "winter warmer" on the Number 27 in Grand Prix racing. Despite cars bearing this number having only won 25 GPs, it is of almost mystical significance to older race fans in general and the Tifosi in particular. The names of those whose cars have borne it are legendary, including of course Ayrton Senna and Gilles Villeneuve. That number was last raced in 1995, when Jean Alesi carried it on a V12 Ferrari, scoring the only win of his career in the Canadian GP at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

When I wrote the article back in 2004 there were only 20 cars on the grid, so it looked like it would never re-appear. Yet for 2010, the entry list is up to 26 cars. No. 13 is not used, so there is to be a No.27 again! Unhappily, it is not on a Ferrari but the Sauber of Kamui Kobayashi. However, the fighting spirit shown in his performances last season suggest that he may be a worthy bearer and at least he will be Ferrari powered. [Click here to go to the original article].

The re-appearance of 27 led me to look at the entry list and dig out any significant or interesting number-related facts. Perhaps not surprisingly, No.1 has scored the most wins, 148, with Ferrari taking the most of these - 58. Their first was in the 1956 British GP on a D50 driven by Juan Manuel Fangio. He scored one other, Peter Collins got one and Niki Lauda five. Scheckter had an awful year with it in 1980, so we had to wait until 1990 when Alain Prost brought it with him from McLaren for another Ferrari No.1 win. Prost scored four more, but then the next 43 are with one man - Michael Schumacher! Three were in 1996 when he brought it with him from Benetton, then there were 40 from 2001-2005. Ironically, his last was his only one that year, in the farcical 2005 USGP when all but six of the cars withdrew before the start. Kimi Raikkonen added the last two wins in 2008.

The next most winning number with 120 victories is "5". The most (27) going to perhaps its most famous user "Red 5". Before Nige appropriated it a number of legendary names had won with it - like Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart and Mario Andretti (11 wins). These also include Alberto Ascari (Ferrari 500) in the 1953 British GP. This was the first of 16 "No.5" wins for the Scuderia. Nige may have won the most but in addition to his other 70 wins, Schuey managed 21. Because nowadays the numbers are so small it had totally escaped my notice that his 248 bore this number in 2006, scoring seven wins, including his last for Ferrari in China. It passed to Massa for 2007 (three wins). This year there's a good chance No. 5's tally will be added to, as it's on Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull - and what's more it's red!

Ferrari have "7" (Massa) and "8" (Alonso) this year. These are not great numbers for the Scuderia, with just two wins for "7" and three for "8", hopefully to be added to in 2010. However, Alonso did win his first GP in Hungary in 2003 with No.8. Interestingly, all of his other wins have been with "1" (11) or "5" (nine)!

Schuey carries No.3 this year, with which he's scored a mere 17 wins. Apart from "1" (52 wins altogether when you add in the Benetton year of 1995) and "5" (21) the only other number with which he has won is "19". This just once, his maiden win in the 1992 Belgian GP. These add up to his (current) total of 91 victories.

When you analyse Ferrari's 210 GP wins, they have been achieved bearing 29 racing numbers. 16 of these have been single wins, but of these why is "50" special? "27" and "28" are tied on 10 apiece. "11" scored 12 wins, including three by Scheckter in his Championship year 1979. "4" has scored 13 wins and "12" 15, four of them by Gilles Villeneuve. This is twice as many as he scored in "27", which isn't the point of course, but it does take us rather neatly back to where we started. I just hope they don't re-allocate the numbers should one of the teams not turn up!

* "50" was the number of Giancarlo Baghetti's car in the 1961 ACF (France) GP. The only Ferrari win not to have been achieved by Scuderia Ferrari.