ABU DHABI -- Having declined the opportunity to do so in previous seasons, Lewis Hamilton has been granted permission to run the number one on his Mercedes for this weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
A rule in 2014 gave drivers numbers they kept for their entire career. Hamilton picked 44 and won the championship that season.
The number one has traditionally been carried by the driver who won the title the previous season but the new regulation made it optional -- Hamilton continued with his career number when defending champion in 2015, 2016 and for the current campaign.