Albon nods to Valentino Rossi with 2019 race number

New Toro Rosso driver Alexander Albon has decided that he will use the number 23 on his race car when he makes his début in the 2019 Formula 1 world championship.

And it's no coincidence that his choice is exactly half that of Valentino Rossi's iconic racing number in MotoGP. The 46 designation is synonymous with motorcycling champion widely hailed as 'the Greatest Of All Time'.

"I’ve always been a Rossi fan," Albon admitted on Twitter this week. "But since I can’t replace the Doctor himself, I thought I’d have half of it!"

Albon used the seven-time two-wheel champion’s number when he began his motor racing career in karting, and subsequently won the 2006 British Super 1 title in Honda Cadets in a kart bearing stickers paying homage to Rossi.

While he's opted not to use 46 in Formula 1 next year, his own choice is not without its own illustrious connections. Soccer star David Beckham used the number 23 during his playing career, as did basketball's Michael Jordan and LeBron James.

• Albon: I've been waiting for this since I was six years old!

Albon was the final driver to be confirmed for next year, after Toro Rosso were able to spring him from a pre-existing contract to race for Nissan in the Formula E championship.

The British-Thai driver - who will fittingly turn 23 days before starting his first Grand Prix - is taking over from Brendon Hartley at the Red Bull junior squad. His team mate will be Danill Kvyat, who is making a surprise return to the team after a year out.

Kvyat gets to keep his previous racing number, 26, for his new stint in F1. Daniel Ricciardo, Kimi Raikkonen, Pierre Gasly, Charles Leclerc, Lance Stroll and Carlos Sainz also keep their previous numbers despite changing teams over the winter.

Lando Norris also considered using Rossi's number before opting for just 4 on his car for his maiden season in F1. Fellow Brit George Russell has opted for number 63 for his first year at the top level of motorsports, with Robert Kubica using 88 at Williams, and Antonio Giovinazzi deciding to go for 99.

Confirmation of Albon's car number for next season means that we now know the designations of all 20 drivers lining up on the grid for the Australian Grand Prix on March 17:

2019 Formula 1 driver numbers

3 - Daniel Ricciardo - Renault F1 Team

4 - Lando Norris - McLaren F1

5 - Sebastian Vettel - Scuderia Ferrari

7 - Kimi Raikkonen - Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team

8 - Romain Grosjean - Rich Energy Haas F1 Team

10 - Pierre Gasly - Aston Martin Red Bull Racing

11 - Sergio Perez - Racing Point F1 Team

16 - Charles Leclerc - Scuderia Ferrari

18 - Lance Stroll - Racing Point F1 Team

20 - Kevin Magnussen - Rich Energy Haas F1 Team

23 - Alexander Albon - Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda

26 - Daniil Kvyat - Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda

27 - Nico Hulkenberg - Renault F1 Team

33 - Max Verstappen - Aston Martin Red Bull Racing

44 - Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport

55 - Carlos Sainz - McLaren F1

63 - George Russell - Williams Racing

77 - Valtteri Bottas - Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport

88 - Robert Kubica - Williams Racing

99 - Antonio Giovinazzi - Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team

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