Lewis Hamilton will retain his number 44 while defending his 2014 Formula 1 world champion title making this first time in since the 1994 season that there will not be a NO.1 on the grid. The numero uno till the 2014 season has been reserved for the defending champion but was made optional once the FIA decided to introduce the option of driver’s choosing their numbers.
The last time this happened was the controversial 1994 season which saw Damon Hill take the No.0 after 1993 world champion Alain Prost retired from the sport. His team-mate , the legendary Ayrton Senna, took No.2 after moving from McLaren to Williams.
Hamilton has defended the move by saying that 44 has been his number since his karting days and has always been a harbringer of good luck. Sebastian Vettel who dominated the scene from 2010 to 2013 will use No.5 after losing his title to Hamilton.
