Max Verstappen has revealed he will be racing under the number 3 following Norris winning the championship by just two points. This will make Verstappen the first Formula One driver to change their ‘Competition Number’ since it became permanent in 2014.
Drivers may choose any number from 2 to 99 to use during their careers, except for number 17, which was retired in 2015 as a tribute to Jules Bianchi, who used it during the 2014 season. Like Verstappen, Bianchi did not get his first choice of number.
The Dutchman had previously run number 33, but seized his opportunity to drive under the number 1 between 2022 and 2025 after winning his controversial 2021 championship.
However, since Lando Norris has won the driver’s championship, everyone expected Verstappen to return to MV33. Instead, he sliced it in half and will be driving under number 3.
“It won’t be number 33. My favourite number has always been three, apart from number one. We can now swap, so it’ll be number three.
I always said it represented double luck, but I’ve already had my luck in Formula 1,” Verstappen told Viaplay.
Fresh Digits, Fresh Faces
The number 3 is legendary within motorsport, and Verstappen’s former Red Bull teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, previously ran this number in honour of his hero, NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt. Ricciardo retired from Formula One due to an injury and will have to relinquish his right to use the number, allowing Verstappen to claim the number 3 officially.
Verstappen isn’t the only driver to switch numbers for the 2026 season; Lando Norris will be driving under number 1 next season, as this right is reserved for the World Champion. Meanwhile, the newest and only rookie joining the 2026 season, Avrid Lindblad, will use the number 41, which a full-time driver has never used.
Numbers Not the Only Thing Changing
New numbers won’t be the only thing on the grid next season; the latest regulation changes will be coming into play.
Previously, we were expecting DRS to be changed to MOM. However, I think the FIA could smell the jokes from a mile away and has introduced new terminology.
The FIA confirmed in a new announcement that Overtake Mode “Replaces DRS and aids on-track passing, being a strategic tool to be used all in one go or spread over a lap.”
Alongside Overtake Mode, we now have ‘active aero’ which was previously named ‘X-Mode’ and ‘Z-Mode’ and ‘boost mode’, an all-purpose term for drivers deploying battery power from the power unit’s Energy Recovery System, which “gives the driver maximum power from the engine and battery at the push of a button, no matter where they are on track.”
With the new regulations and cars, we are expecting an exciting season, but the biggest question everyone has is whether we will see the return of ‘Mad Max’?