Max Verstappen Announces Switch To New Number And It's One Of The Most Iconic In Racing
Expect to see this number on the podium quite a bit this season
Max Verstappen came up just a little short in this year's battle for the Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship, which means that for the first time since 2021, he will not have the No.1 on his car.
That's reserved for the reigning champion, and this year's champ, McLaren's Lando Norris, already said that he plans to use it instead of his usual No. 4.
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So, that would lead you to assume that Verstappen will go back to his old No. 33, but he announced this week that this won't be the case.
Instead, he's going with No. 3.
According to Formula 1, Verstappen had previously teased this change in an interview.
"It won't be No. 33," Verstappen said in an interview with Viaplay. "My favorite number has always been 3, apart from No. 1. We can now swap, so it’ll be No. 3.
"No. 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."
When Verstappen made his F1 debut in 2016 with Toro Rosso, the No. 3 belonged to Daniel Ricciardo, who would become his teammate at Red Bull after just four races.
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Ricciardo has talked about using No. 3 in honor of late NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt, but since he lost his seat in F1 partway through the 2024 season and has no plans for a return, No. 3 was up for grabs.
I don't know that Verstappen took on the number as an ode to The Intimidator, but there's no doubt that No. 3 is one of the most iconic numbers in all of motorsports.
Which, by the way, he has already used. The Dutchman used No. 3 while testing a Mercedes-AMG GT3 car in Portugal on Tuesday.
A pair of Mercedes-AMG GT3 cars that Max Verstappen tested in Portugal this week featured his new number. (Photo by Miguel Reis/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The first time we see this number on an F1 car could be in about a month when Red Bull unveils their 2026 car in Detroit alongside their new engine development partner, Ford.