Why Verstappen will use former Red Bull teammate’s car number

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen finally ended speculation about his car number for the 2026 season by revealing that he will switch to racing under the number 3.

With Lando Norris having taken over the number 1 after beating the Dutchman to the title by just two points in Abu Dhabi, Verstappen decided not to go back to No 33 which he had been using before in his career since his debut with Toro Rosso back in 2015.

Instead, the Dutchman will take the number previously used by his former Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo. The two raced alongside each other at Red Bull from 2016 to 2018, but Verstappen explained that the change to number 3 has been a dream of his throughout his career.

In an interview with Viaplay, the four-time world champion said: “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.”

It was also confirmed that both the FIA and Ricciardo, who retired from the sport in 2024 after an underwhelming final season with RB, gave permission for Verstappen to reinstate the number on the 2026 grid.

2026 F1 driver numbers

Alpine

• Pierre Gasly: No 10

• Franco Colapinto No 43

Aston Martin

• Fernando Alonso: No 14

• Lance Stroll: No 18

Audi

• Gabriel Bortoleto: No 5 (previously used by Sebastian Vettel)

• Nico Hulkenberg: No 27

Cadillac

• Sergio Perez No 11

• Valtteri Bottas: No 77

Ferrari

• Charles Leclerc: No 16

• Lewis Hamilton: No 44

Haas

• Esteban Ocon: No 31

• Oliver Bearman: No 87

McLaren

• Lando Norris: No 1

• Oscar Piastri: No 81

Mercedes

• Kimi Antonelli: No 12 (prev Felipe Nasr)

• George Russell: No 63

Racing Bulls

• Liam Lawson: No 30 (prev Jolyon Palmer)

• Arvid Lindblad: No 41

Red Bull

• Max Verstappen: No 3 (prev Daniel Ricciardo)

• Isack Hadjar: No 6 (prev Nicholas Latifi)

Williams

• Alex Albon: No 23

• Carlos Sainz: No 55