Max Verstappen won’t switch back to #33 for 2026 F1 season

Max Verstappen has picked #3 as his race number for the 2026 Formula 1 season, following his title defeat this year.

Verstappen had wanted this one all along as it was a lucky number to him, but it was taken by Daniel Ricciardo when the Dutchman started his career. Therefore, he chose #33 to “add double the luck” and raced with it from 2015 to 2021, when he won his maiden world title.

The Red Bull driver went on to use #1 in the last four seasons as the reigning world champion, but lost the 2025 championship fight to Lando Norris and therefore has to concede this race number – which Norris has claimed.

Theoretically, he should have switched back to #33, but the F1 Commission has decided that drivers will now be allowed to change their race numbers.

Another problem was that #3 belonged to Daniel Ricciardo, whose career ended in September 2024 and theoretically retained rights over that number for two years – but the F1 Commission is now allowing drivers to waive these specific rights early.

Daniel Ricciardo, RB F1 Team VCARB 01

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

Ricciardo has therefore approved Verstappen’s use of #3.

“It won't be number 33,” Verstappen said in his end-of-year interview with Viaplay. “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,” the four-time world champion and 71-time grand prix winner concluded.

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Verstappen’s new number has been surprisingly unsuccessful in F1 as, since season-long race numbers were introduced in the 1970s, it won just two world titles with Jacques Villeneuve in 1997 and Michael Schumacher in 2000.

Additional reporting by Ronald Vording

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