Max Verstappen to take Daniel Ricciardo's number for 2026

Max Verstappen has confirmed that he will be using the racing number of former Red Bull team-mate Daniel Ricciardo in 2026.

Verstappen is being forced to change his number due to the fact he is no longer world champion, meaning that he cannot use the number one that he has used for the last four seasons.

Lando Norris will get that option in 2026 instead, meaning Verstappen has to find a new number, at least for the time being, 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.

"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.

READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton retirement verdict revealed by F1 insider

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