I chose the starting number 47 for several reasons, and all these reasons make it the ideal number for me.

My favorite number is 4, and I can find myself in everything it stands for - responsibility, curiosity, determination. The 7 stands for my father. It is the number he always chose; not least because it is the number of his World Championship titles. The 4 and the 7 together make a unit of or a connection between the two of us. And the fact that our family's birthdays added together make 47 feels to me like a confirmation of that choice.

For the first time I had the number 47 on the Ferrari of 2018, at the F1 test in Fiorano before my first FP1. Right after that, fans speculated in the comments on social media why this number was chosen. I also found their explanation really good and I'm happy to take it over: they said to read it like "For (instead of four) 7", and the "7" stands for Michael, which is true. So the 47 would mean "For Michael".