Superstitions surrounding the number 13 have pervaded various societies for millennia – so much so that in major buildings there is no 13th floor and on airplanes there is no row 13.
As with everything in life, the #13 also played a role in sports, particularly in motorsport. The RB13 and W13 are the cars from Red Bull and Mercedes, respectively, which chose not to bypass the “cursed” number – both were not particularly competitive, but that cannot be entirely blamed on the number.
For most of the existence of Formula 1, however, teams and drivers harshly avoided carrying the #13 on their cars. Not coincidentally, Colin Chapman, Jack Brabham (main photo), Bruce McLaren, John Surtees, and Ken Tyrrell stubbornly avoided using the #13, sticking to #12 and #14 when they had to carry those numbers due to their teams’ positions in the standings.
The Case of Ascari
The case surrounding the numerology related to the death of two-time champion Alberto Ascari is well-known.
The Italian Ferrari champion died on June 13, while his father passed away on July 26, 1925, at the French GP, making #26 (two times 13) the number associated with young Alberto from an early age.
It was May 26, 1955 when he had an accident while not wearing his lucky helmet, losing his life 13,466 days after his birth – three more than his father lived.
Overall #13 in the history of the sport
In France, the #13 was banned from being used in races within its borders after the death of Paul Torchy at the St. Sebastian GP, when he carried that number on the sides of his Delage, and the same happened a year later with Count Giulio Masetti, again with Delage.
In 1976, the #13 returned at the British GP, thanks to Divina Galica – without an unpleasant ending.
Mercedes-AMG Petronas W13
In 2014, when the choice of number became free for each driver, Pastor Maldonado went against the superstition and chose #13 for the two seasons he raced with Lotus.
Nevertheless, the first time a major team used the #13 on its car was Williams, with Sir Frank adhering to this approach that characterized him in the management of his team and in his choice regarding this superstition, as he did not bypass it when it came time for the FW13, the car from 1989.
Similarly, Ron Dennis kept the #13 when it came time for the MP4/13, which brought 9 victories to Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard, and the championship title to the Finn.
Thus, we arrived at RB13, STR13, and happily to the W13, finally breaking the… bad luck.
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