The FIA, Formula One’s rule makers, have revealed their ground-breaking numbers game. For the first time in the history of grand prix racing, permanent numbers have been allocated to the drivers for the remainder of their careers.

Each driver was invited to choose their first three preferences from 2 to 99. In the event of a clash of claimants, priority was handed to whichever driver finished higher in the 2013 world championship standings.

The resultant rush was largely nostalgia-based and threw up a bout of interesting decision-making, with memory lane featuring strongly.

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel, the champion for four years running, selected number 5 — but his car will carry number one this year and he will not run with five until he is no longer top of the class — whenever that might be! It could be a long wait.

The FIA’s Paris HQ was left to sift through the choices ahead of this week’s first test runs in Jerez, Spain — the curtain-raiser to the 2014 campaign with all its engine and technical regulation changes.

Title runner-up Fernando Alonso opted for number 14 on his Ferrari, which was the plate he carried in his junior karting days in Spain.

Lewis Hamilton, the 2008 title winner, chose 44 for his Mercedes and that, again, was a karting number he was not allowed to carry in his car racing career.

Button’s choice

Another ex-champion, Jenson Button, will ride with 22 — the number with which he clinched the 2009 world crown with mastermind Ross Brawn as his mentor.

Nico Rosberg, of Mercedes, went for six — the number his father, Keke, carried during his four grand prix wins and 1982 world title.

Felipe Massa, now with Williams after being fired by Ferrari, ran with 19 when he won the 2001 F3000 championship and that’s the plate he’ll carry for his new team.

Rookie Kevin Magnussen won the Formula Renault 3.5 title last year as number 20 and he’s hanging on to it.

Nico Hulkenberg has grabbed 27 — the number his hero, Gilles Villeneuve, the Canadian daredevil, carried so famously up to the point where he was tragically killed while warming up for the Belgian GP in 1982.

Love for 13

Oddest of all is Lotus’ new recruit Pastor Maldonado’s choice. The controversial and erratic runner from Venezuela with the multi-million-dollar oil company sponsorship was the sole requestee of 13, regarded universally as a dreadfully unlucky number.

It has been carried only once in a world title grand prix — by Moises Solana’s BRM in Mexico in 1963. It was also entered by Divina Galica, who failed to qualify as a privateer driving a Surtees at the 1976 British Grand Prix. Unlucky for some?

— The writer is a motorsport expert based in the UK.