Max Verstappen has revealed that he will switch to racing under the number 3 for the 2026 season, with Lando Norris taking over the number 1 after beating the Red Bull driver to the title by just two points.
Since his debut with Toro Rosso back in 2015, Verstappen competed as car 33, but took the option of switching to the number 1 when he pipped Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton to the 2021 title, kicking off a four-year reign as World Champion.
That streak was brought to an end by Norris, who took third place at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to secure his maiden title as a McLaren driver, with Verstappen missing out despite a late impressive comeback.
Instead of returning to his previous number 33, the Dutchman will take the number previously used by his former team mate 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, he 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.
