Max Verstappen confirms worst-kept secret with permanent F1 number change

Max Verstappen has confirmed he will be taking the number ‘3’ on his car next season, moving away from the number ’33’ which had been with him for his Formula 1 career up to this point.

The four-time World Champion had spent the last four seasons running with the number ‘1’ on his car, as was his right as the reigning title-holder, but with Lando Norris having secured the crown in Abu Dhabi, the Red Bull driver is reverting to a different number.

Max Verstappen: ‘My favourite number has always been 3’

Norris confirmed after the season ended that he would run with the champion’s number on his McLaren next season, but rules governing permanent driver numbers had not allowed drivers to switch their race number during the course of their career, other than being World Champion.

Now, a provision has been put in place for existing drivers to be able to take on available numbers on the grid, and with Daniel Ricciardo no longer on the grid and having confirmed he is not seeking a Formula 1 return, his previous number, 3, will now be passed to his former Red Bull teammate.

Verstappen had hoped to take on the number ‘3’ upon his arrival in Formula 1, but that was already taken by the Australian at the time, with Verstappen’s official website having confirmed Ricciardo “cooperated” with the number switch – acting as further confirmation that the ‘Honey Badger’ is not seeking a return to the grid.

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Speaking to Dutch broadcaster Viaplay about what he will use in 2026, Verstappen replied: “It won’t be number 33. My favourite number has always been 3, apart from number 1. We can now swap, so it’ll be number 3.

“Number 33 was always fine, but I just like one 3 better than two. I always said it represented double luck, but I’ve already had my luck in Formula 1.”

The driver confirmed the ‘3’ to his website.

Locked in for 2026. pic.twitter.com/VGWFFpQEpj

— Max Verstappen (@VerstappenCOM) December 18, 2025

Rules around permanent driver numbers were introduced in 2014, with drivers allowed to pick any number of their choosing between 2 and 99 to accompany them through their Formula 1 career, with 1 solely reserved for the reigning World Champion.

Should a driver’s first choice number not be available when they arrive on the grid, as has been the case for the likes of Charles Leclerc [7], Yuki Tsunoda [11] and Carlos Sainz [5] in the past, they go to their second choice number, and so on.

The only race number unavailable for any driver is number 17, which was retired in honour of the late Jules Bianchi.

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