Finally Max Verstappen’s new number for the 2026 Formula 1 season has been confirmed to be “No.3” that previously belonged to his former Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo.
The Dutch superstar’s decision to adopt the number 3 as his new racing identifier starting next season marks a significant shift in the sport’s evolving landscape, coming on the heels of Lando Norris clinching the 2025 drivers’ championship and claiming the prestigious number 1.
Verstappen who dominated the grid with the champion’s plate from 2022 through 2025 after securing four consecutive titles, now faces a fresh chapter without that elite designation, prompting speculation about his return to the familiar 33 he carried from his Toro Rosso debut in 2015 to his breakthrough Red Bull years.
Instead of reverting to that double-digit emblem, Verstappen has confirmed his preference for a sleek, singular 3, a choice enabled by a pivotal FIA regulation update that now permits drivers to alter their permanent career numbers mid-career—a flexibility previously denied under the sport’s rigid post-2014 numbering system.
This announcement, revealed in a candid interview with Viaplay shortly after the 2025 season finale where Verstappen agonizingly finished just two points shy of Norris, underscores the driver’s personal affinity for the number 3, which he has long described as his outright favorite, second only to the champion’s 1.
“It won’t be number ’33’,” Verstappen told Viaplay. “My favourite number has always been ‘3’, apart from number ‘1’.
“We can now switch. It will be number ‘3’, ’33’ was always fine, but I prefer a single 3 to two 3s. I’ve always said it represented double happiness, but of course, I’ve already had my luck in F1.”
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The transition aligns seamlessly with the FIA’s recent rule liberalization, ratified by the F1 Commission and awaiting final World Motor Sport Council endorsement, which opens the door for such changes provided the desired number is unclaimed by an active driver.
Max Verstappen’s new number was previously wielded by former Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo before retiring in September 2024.
The Australian driver held it as his career badge since 2014, but his exit cleared the path, allowing Verstappen to secure FIA approval for its use starting in 2026.
Verstappen‘s choice resonates deeply with his personal history and racing philosophy, tracing back to influences from family and early karting days where the number 3 held sentimental value, a preference he hinted at as early as November 2025 during preseason musings reported by Autosport.
He even joked about considering edgier options like 69—upright from any angle on a car—but deferred to his father Jos’s pragmatic counsel against it, settling firmly on 3 after winter deliberations.
“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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