Every athlete’s number says something. This applies to team sports such as soccer and basketball, but also to motor sports. When discussing the race numbers, of course, Dale Earnhardt’s No. 3 comes to the fore. When Formula 1 drivers chose numbers in 2014, it created a dilemma for Daniel Ricciardo that is as old as the jersey numbers themselves.
Daniel Ricciardo pays tribute to Dale Earnhardt
Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo in 2019 | Mark Thompson / Getty Images
According to the Formula 1 YouTube channel, Ricciardo first met his love for number three in a stroke of luck or fate. At the time, Ricciardo was less enthusiastic about his common origins with the most famous racing driver of all time than about another number that was close to his heart:
It all started in my first go-kart race. We couldn’t pick any numbers at this point. It was exactly the number they’d pulled out of a hat. That was ours. It was number 3. At the time, our number 3 was three. So it was like, ‘Oh! That’s great, cool! ‘”
However, as Ricciardo fell more in love with the world of racing, he made the connection between his number and the icon of Dale Earnhardt’s cars during his racing career. Ricciardo stated that he followed NASCAR and was familiar with Earnhardt’s black car with a three.
“And then, when we were able to choose our number in Formula 1 in 2014, it was obviously my first choice, and I got it,” explains Ricciardo. “And it was fine. I’m pretty proud to be number 3. “
The Australian racing driver has broken down a path to success and has been number 1 seven times in his F1 career. With 31 podium finishes, he may not be the Earnhardt in the Formula 1 world, but he lives up to the number.
Earnhardt made his number a brand of its own. While jersey numbers like Jackie Robinson’s # 42 or Michael Jordan’s # 23 have become something bigger than sport, racing car numbers are rarely as lucky. However, Ricciardo’s story shows that numbers are meaningful.
First come first serve
RELATED: How Formula 1 Prodigy Max Verstappen Became Multimillionaire At 23 Years Old
Obviously, other racers want to pay tribute with a brand as big as Earnhardt’s. In 2014, another racing driver, Max Verstappen, also wanted the number. In the same Formula 1 YouTube video, he discussed how he always wore it on his car: “Well, my favorite number is three. I always put a three on everything I drove or drove.
However, Ricciardo already owned No. 3. As Essentially Sports notes, Verstappen changed his number to 33 to honor Earnhardt and his roots while doing something different.
Now both racers have their own legacies with their specified numbers. While Earnhardt will always be the most famous “three” car, the call for its number shows how much those things mean to athletes. Sometimes it also means getting a little creative.
The Formula 1 war for numbers
Verstappen’s story is closer to the average story about numbers. While it may seem easy to find a number 1-100, many racers have an emotional attachment to a number that they cannot keep on entering the pros. They have to decide whether to try something new or pay homage in a different way.
When Carlos Sainz chose number 55, he was paying homage to the number 5 that he had ridden as an amateur. Formula 1 legend Sebastian Vettel, however, already had No. 5. Sainz chose No. 55 not only because it doubled his choice, but it also reminded him of the “S” at the end of his first name, which converged with the one that did this did start his surname.
As the Formula 1 website notes, every number has a story. Some are more exciting than others. What these stories prove, however, is that while a number says a lot about an athlete, the story behind their backup plan may tell even more.
The post How Dale Earnhardt became the inspiration for Daniel Ricciardo’s Formula 1 number first appeared on monter-une-startup.
