Max Verstappen reveals new F1 driver number for 2026

Credit for photo: Red Bull Content Pool — Photo: © IMAGO

Latest F1 News

Max Verstappen reveals new F1 driver number for 2026

Max Verstappen's new number has been confirmed

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Thursday 18 December 2025 12:55

Max Verstappen's new F1 driver number has been confirmed, after he was forced to change it ahead of the 2026 season.

Verstappen had been using the number one for the last four seasons having won the world championship on four consecutive occasions between 2021-2024.

However, that number one on the front of the car may only be deployed by the world champion, and this year Verstappen was knocked off his perch by McLaren's Lando Norris.

Article continues under video

It means that Verstappen has had to change his number ahead of 2026, and he has opted not to go back to the number 33 that he had previously used.

Instead, he is going to use the number three, which was previously taken by his former Red Bull team-mate Daniel Ricciardo.

With Ricciardo no longer on the F1 grid - and without a return in sight given the fact he has retired from the series - Verstappen has now opted to pick up the Australian fan favourite's former number.

Speaking in an interview with Viaplay, Verstappen revealed the reason for the number three: "My favourite number has always been three, besides one. Daniel Ricciardo always had it but we're allowed to switch now. 33 was always fine but I think one three is prettier than two threes.

"I always said it was for double luck but I already had that in F1 so we don't really need to think about that anymore.''

Taking to Instagram, Verstappen's merchandise website Verstappen.com confirmed the change, posting the number three with the caption: "Locked in for 2026."

Can Verstappen win back his number one in 2026?

Verstappen will be desperately hoping that Red Bull give him a car that can defeat McLaren next year, with new regulations sweeping into the sport that may just see a shake up of the competitive order.

It might mean that 2025 was McLaren's only dominant year, with the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari and Aston Martin also wanting to get into the mix next year.

Red Bull have a new power unit partnership with Ford coming up from 2026 having previously ditched Honda in order to make their own power units in partnership with Ford, and they know that it is crucial for them to be competitive immediately, or risk losing Verstappen.

If Red Bull are not competitive in 2026 then Verstappen could well seek out a new opportunity, with a number of drivers currently set to be out of contract at the end of next season.

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen