The publication of the official entry list also revealed the last little mystery that was left in view of the start of the 2023 season. Nyck DeVries, making his debut as a racing driver after this year’s ‘appearance’ in the Italian GP, had in fact not yet announced what his race number would be for his first full season in the Circus. The Dutchman from AlphaTauri decided to choose the #21which thus returns to F1 for the first time since the 2016 season, when it was ‘worn’ by the Mexican Esteban Gutierrez.
Going to browse the history books, however, you can find out how this figure has been linked over the years to several Italian pilots. In fact, Giancarlo Fisichella, Jarno Trulli, Emanuele Pirro and Alex Caffi have all competed in the Circus, in different periods, even with the ’21’ on their single-seater. We are talking about an era in which the pilots did not have their own personal race number that they carried on for their entire career. Until 1973, in reality, the numbers were assigned by the organizers of each GP and therefore each driver could have several during the season.
In the middle of that year they were tested permanent numbers and in 1974 fixed numbers were assigned based on the teams’ position in the 1973 Constructors’ championship. However, the teams only changed numbers when they had the world champion in their ranks, who used the number 1, or when another team ceased to exist . This system lasted until 1995. From then until 2013, however, the order of the Constructors’ classification prevailed.
Fisichella, who after Gutierrez was the driver to contest the most GPs with the #21 (no less than 38), used this number at the beginning of his career, at Minardi, and then found it again in his first two seasons at Force India. Coffee he found it in the car with the Osella and with the Dallara and always with the team of Varano de’ Melegari and with a car # 21 he also competed Emmanuel Pirro. For Jarno Trulli instead the 21st marked the beginning and the end of his F1 career. In 1997 he made his debut in Minardi with that number and, ‘wearing’ the same numbers, in 2011 he closed his career in the Circus at the wheel of the Lotus. However, the only one in the history of F1 to bring the #21 to success was Jackie Stewart, with the Tyrrell, in 1972. De Vries’ hope is to have a long career in F1 ahead of him to be able to correct this statistic .
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