Jack Doohan, who is set to make his debut with Alpine next year, has chosen his racing number – he’s going for number seven. The Australian driver had initially set his sights on number twelve, but Mercedes had already reserved that number for Andrea Kimi Antonelli. As a result, Doohan decided to switch to number seven, the iconic number that adorned Kimi Räikkönen’s cars for many years.
Jack Doohan is one of four rookies who will make their debut on the grid next year. Along with Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), Oliver Bearman (Haas), and Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber), the young Australian is moving up to the premier class. Doohan has been serving as a test and reserve driver for Alpine for several years, but next year he will have the opportunity to prove himself full-time alongside veteran Pierre Gasly.
However, Doohan still has some preparations to make before his debut, including choosing a racing number. In August, he told his Instagram followers that he would ‘go for number twelve no matter what’. What he didn’t know at the time was that Mercedes had already secured that number for Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Therefore, the young Australian ultimately chose number seven, a legendary number he previously used during the Euroformula Open Championship in 2019.
Kimi Räikkönen
The number seven was long used by none other than The Iceman, Kimi Räikkönen. The Finn raced one hundred and seventy-six Grand Prix with this number until his retirement in 2021. Before that, the number was also used for two years by Michael Schumacher. Since the number seven has not been in use for more than two seasons, Doohan is now allowed to choose it.
“I’m extremely excited,” Doohan said in a video from Alpine. “I really wanted to race with a number that I’ve used before and that has significance for me. I wore this number back in 2019, and it’s also the number of one of my idols, Kimi Räikkönen, a very special driver. I’m really looking forward to using it. It will certainly bring me luck.”
