Vandoorne explains number 2 choice

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Stoffel Vandoorne has explained why he chose the number 2 as his permanent driver number ahead of his debut F1 season.

Drivers have been able to select their own number since the start of the 2014 season, which they then will use throughout their F1 careers. While Vandoorne was handed the temporary number of 47 while driving for McLaren as a reserve - filling in for Fernando Alonso in last year's Bahrain Grand Prix - the official 2017 entry list showed he will carry the number 2.

Asked why he made the choice, Vandoorne told the official McLaren website: “I chose it because it was the first number I had when I started racing in single-seaters – in Formula 4 Eurocup 1.6, back in 2010.

"I didn’t choose the number, it was just given to me, but it was a good year for me – I had a lot of victories and a lot of podiums – so it has positive memories for me.”

There will be no number 1 on the grid in 2017, with Nico Rosberg having retired from Formula One with immediate effect off the back of his maiden drivers' championship victory in Abu Dhabi.

Looking ahead to next season, Vandoorne says his home race in Belgium is one which he is looking forward to the most.

“The season as a whole will be the highlight, of course. But, in terms of races, there will be Spa-Francorchamps – my home grand prix and my favourite track. It will also be the first time I’ll race there in Formula 1, and I know there’ll be a lot of fans and members of my family there too – I’m really looking forward to it.”

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.