Max Verstappen set to change F1 driver number

F1 champion Max Verstappen is set to change his driver number in the sport ahead of the 2026 season.

For the last four consecutive campaigns, the Dutchman has secured back-to-back victories in the drivers' championship, but after a disappointing year, a fifth title looks unlikely.

2025 has brought tough times at Red Bull both on and off the track, and after 14 rounds, a team-mate swap and a new team principal, Verstappen sits down in third with 187 points to his name.

As Red Bull have continued their fall from grace, rivals McLaren have gone from strength to strength, with the papaya outfit having already run away with the constructors' championship and the drivers' title likely a battle between McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.

With just 10 rounds to go, there are 97 points separating Verstappen from championship leader Piastri, meaning his reign as F1 champion looks set to be over, and with it, his time racing under the No.1 driver number.

How are F1 driver numbers decided?

Previously, F1 driver numbers were allocated based upon the teams' finishing position in the championship the previous year, but in 2014, the assigned number system was scrapped, allowing F1 stars to choose their own.

The new approach allows drivers to select a number with a more personal touch and that number then sticks with them throughout their career, unless they become champion, in which they can choose to adopt the No. 1 label, stripping it from the previous title holder.

If either Piastri or Norris triumphs over Verstappen in 2025, the Red Bull star will be forced to relinquish the No. 1 he so proudly displays across his car, team kit and driver merchandise, to the new drivers' champion, and return to his former No.33 driver tag.

However, champions are not forced to adopt the number and despite it signifying a driver's title as the best in the sport, seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton has famously never strayed from his iconic driver No.44 in any of his seasons as reigning world champion since the rule change in 2014.

In the past, Hamilton has explained the deep personal connection he has to No.44, delving into his decision to return to it despite his championship success.

"It’s the number that my family recognised the most, it’s the number that has been loyal to me and to my fans," he said. Verstappen on the other hand? Well, Daniel Ricciardo had already taken the No.3 he desired so he simply added another!

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