Has Max Verstappen received Daniel Ricciardo’s blessing in iconic change request?

Max Verstappen has hinted, but it is unconfirmed, that he could run the number ‘3’ next season, taking the number from his former Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo.

PlanetF1.com enquiries have suggested that Ricciardo is open to relinquishing his claim to the ‘3’, but that the Honey Badger chose not to comment, with the matter referred back to Red Bull.

Max Verstappen is no longer number ‘1’

Prior to losing the number ‘1’ in the Formula 1 World Championship as he headed into the season finale in Abu Dhabi trailing Lando Norris by 16 points, Verstappen revealed he wasn’t keen on returning to the ’33’ he had run prior to his 2021 success – he wanted number ‘3’.

That, though, was taken by Daniel Ricciardo.

“It has everything to do with Dale Earnhardt,” Ricciardo once said of his ‘3’ in F1 and the NASCAR legend. “I was always a big fan of his.”

Such was the Honey Badger’s appreciation for Earnhardt, that a bet with McLaren CEO Zak Brown to reach the podium as a McLaren F1 driver saw Ricciardo put in laps behind the wheel of Earnhardt’s No.3 1984 Wrangler Chevrolet at the Circuit of The Americas in 2021.

Alas the 3’s longevity in Formula 1 ended in 2024 when Ricciardo and Red Bull parted ways.

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The ‘3’, though, still officially belongs to Ricciardo until the end of the F1 2026 season under the FIA’s regulations, even though he’d clearly stated he would never return to the grid.

But with the FIA announcing changes to the F1 numbers – “changes to the regulation on permanent competition numbers for drivers, introduced for the 2014 season, were discussed. It was agreed that a proposal for drivers to change their numbers during their career would be permitted” – it opened the door for Verstappen to try, Ricciardo’s permission needed – for the ‘3’.

“I do indeed have to get approval, so it’s a good question what number I will drive with next year,” he told De Telegraaf of his plans for his F1 2026 race number.

“My favourite number is ‘3’, but I still have to wait and see if that is indeed possible and allowed. I’ll see in the winter.”

Verstappen has since lost the number ‘1’, falling two points short of holding onto the title – and the numbers – and will therefore need to return his previous ’33’ next season or choose another number.

But did his recent GT3 run hint that it his choice has been made?

During a recent GT3 test in Portugal, Verstappen ran the number ‘3’ leading to speculation that it was done, he would have the ‘3’ next season.

Max Verstappen is on track today at Estoril, testing a Mercedes-AMG GT3 running the number 3. pic.twitter.com/Ona3FdnySc

— F1grids (@F1gridx) December 16, 2025

The FIA will announce the drivers’ numbers on December 20

But if it’s not ‘3’, well, Verstappen also had other ideas for next season.

“I actually wanted 69, but my dad said ‘that’s not a good idea’,” he admitted. “But that number always looks the same, no matter how you look at the car!

“69 would be very good for the photos and marketing, and for the caps as well. It doesn’t matter how you wear them, it always stays 69. In that respect it would be a good marketing tool.

“I also like 27, but Nico already has that. I think 2 and 7 look really nice together in terms of shape. So 3 is my favourite number, but there are several numbers I find cool.”

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