Albon pays half-tribute to Rossi with F1 number

Alexander Albon has confirmed he took inspiration from nine-time motorcycle world champion Valentino Rossi when it came to choosing his permanent number in Formula 1, but felt he could not "replace" The Doctor by selecting his famous #46.

Albon was confirmed on Tuesday to have selected 23 as his race number for his F1 career ahead of his debut in 2019, when he will race for Toro Rosso.

In two Twitter posts later in the day, Albon shared pictures of himself racing in go-karts with the #46 made famous by current Yamaha rider Rossi through his MotoGP career, having been a fan of the Italian since he was a kid.

"I’ve always been a Rossi fan but since I can’t replace the doctor himself, I thought I’d have half of it," Albon wrote.

I’ve always been a Rossi fan but since I can’t replace the doctor himself, I thought I’d have half of it #quickmaths #AA23 pic.twitter.com/WaKGjYL5uE

— Alex Albon (@alex_albon) December 18, 2018

pic.twitter.com/YcqySijfzs

— Alex Albon (@alex_albon) December 18, 2018

Albon is the final new driver on the F1 grid for 2019 to confirm his race number, with Lando Norris (#4), George Russell (#63), Robert Kubica (#88) and Antonio Giovinazzi (#99) having already locked in their selections.