Source:REUTERS/Ahmad AlShehab
[Saba Sports News] In the 2026 F1 season, Valtteri Bottas will serve as an official driver for the Cadillac team. Recently, he announced the number he will use in the upcoming season: number 77. This number holds significant meaning for Bottas, as 7 is his lucky number, and two 7s represent double luck. Over the years, regardless of which team he transfers to or the rules he faces, he has consistently maintained this race number without ever changing it.He has also actively integrated this number into his personal brand, incorporating related elements into social media branding, merchandise design, helmet, and race suit paint schemes, making it a core identifier for fans to recognize him. This obsession with the race number has gone beyond mere numerical preference; it has become a psychological anchor and the core of his persona.In the highly competitive and variable world of F1, having a fixed race number provides him with a familiar sense of psychological security, serving as an implicit support system to cope with professional fluctuations. Additionally, this race number creates a unique bond of interaction with fans, who often make gifts themed around it, and he actively shares and engages with them, further closing the distance between himself and his supporters.