Contrary to a statement made by team boss Ron Dennis at McLaren’s recent Stuttgart launch, Lewis Hamilton will not carry the number 23 on his new car in 2008.
“It is Lewis’ birthday today, we’ve gone to a lot of trouble … he is 23, it is the MP4-23 and he will carry 23 on the car, but that is more by accident than judgement I must say,” Dennis told reporters on Monday.
But although the single seater featured at the launch event indeed wore 23, it has emerged that Hamilton’s Finnish teammate Heikki Kovalainen will actually carry the number this season.
The official 2008 entry list published by the FIA shows Hamilton with the number 22 for 2008, and the Briton made his debut in the car at Jerez on Thursday with the lower number.
Hamilton ended Thursday with a best lap time of 1.19.132, which was a few tenths quicker than Kovalainen, who was also on track at the exclusive McLaren test.
“For me in particular the car is very different from last year, and I have been focusing on that side of things,” said Kovalainen, who in 2007 made his formula one debut for Renault.
