Formula 1: How to distinguish teammates on track?

As Formula 1 is gaining popularity, many find identifying their favorite drivers on the track quite challenging. F1 cars are one of the fastest racing machines on the planet, with their top speed comfortably crossing the 350 km/h barrier as they glide down long straights under favorable conditions.

As these engineering marvels zoom past the broadcasting cameras in fractions of seconds, our eyes often fail to identify any signs of our favorite drivers. Many of us wonder how F1 commentators are quick enough to identify the drivers while delivering their commentary.

In this article, we'll help you learn about various cues audiences can look for to identify their favorite drivers while watching the races on the weekend.

Driver Helmet

Lewis Hamilton, in his famous 2023 yellow helmet

One of the most common methods fans use to identify their favorite drivers in Formula 1 is to look for their crash helmets, also called lids. Every driver has a unique helmet for a given race, and their followers always succeed in keeping track of their favorite drivers' helmets.

In fact, many racers driving for the same team often wear visibly different helmets, such as in Mercedes, so that their supporters can comfortably distinguish them.

Drivers also wear special race helmets for certain races, especially their home races. These are often based upon the driver's personal identity or media image, making it easier for their followers to track them during the race weekend.

Very often, however, the camera angles or just the sheer speed of the Formula 1 car make it impossible for the audience to identify the drivers based on helmet designs. As discussed below, fans can use other cues to identify their drivers in such situations.

Driver Number

The Red Bulls of Max Verstappen (driver no. 1) and Sergio Perez (driver no. 11)

Another way to distinguish Formula 1 drivers from their teammates is by their driver numbers. Every driver has a unique driver number, which is the key differentiator among drivers driving for the same team on track during a Grand Prix weekend.

Drivers can choose their preferred driver number unless another driver has already taken it. They must stick to their driver numbers for the rest of their Formula 1 career. However, there are certain exceptions to this rule, which must also be kept in mind.

The number '1' can only be selected by the defending world champion for the following year. Sebastian Vettel became the first driver in 2014 to choose driver number '1' after winning his fourth driver's championship in the 2013 Formula 1 season.

Most notably, reigning world driver's champion Max Verstappen has been using driver number '1' since 2022, after winning his first championship in the year 2021.

Furthermore, driver number '17' has been permanently retired in honor of Jules Bianchi. He was the young F1 prodigy who tragically lost his life due to a horrible crash in the 2014 Japanese GP, driving with the same number.

Numbers are printed on the front of the car, on both sides of the roll bar's rear fin, and the driver's helmet. This makes identifying the Formula 1 car of different drivers much easier for the audience.

However, in many cases, it becomes difficult to distinguish these numbers, especially when the font and digits of these numbers are very similar.

Formula 1 T-Cam

Ferrari SF-23s of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc are distinguishable by their T-Cam colors.

There's one more way to distinguish drivers from the same team in Formula 1. This isn't popularly known, but it is a very effective way to identify your favorite driver.

T-cams are cameras mounted on the roll-bars of every Formula 1 car. They not only provide an on-board view of cars on live broadcast but also help the FIA in investigating any incident involving drivers on the track.

Each team is allotted two T-cams for each car, one black and one yellow. Black T-cams are often given to the team's senior drivers, or those with more extended contracts. Yellow T-cams, on the other hand, are usually given to the junior or rookie drivers of the teams.

A few exceptions exist, such as Hamilton, Norris, and Alonso, who opted for a yellow T-Cam for the 2023 F1 season since it matches their respective helmet colors.

T-cams for the 2023 F1 season

Besides the methods mentioned above, some teams, like Mercedes, use particular driver-specific accents on their cars' livery (yellow for Hamilton, blue for Russell) to distinguish their drivers.

We hope this article will help you keep track of your favorite drivers during the next race.