Shortly after winning his first title in Formula 1, Lando Norris has already made the first important decision for the coming F1 season. This means that the dethroned world champion Max Verstappen is also forced to act.
Lando Norris has confirmed that he will compete in Formula 1 next year with starting number 1. “It’s tradition. There’s a reason for it. It’s there because you can get it if you work hard for it,” he told Sky Sports.
The 26-year-old had previously started the races with number four. In the last four seasons, world champion Max Verstappen started with number 1.
“All of us as a team that plays a role at McLaren or on my car will wear this with pride. This goes for all my mechanics, my engineers, everyone who is part of McLaren. They deserve this recognition too,” continued Norris.
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“So it’s not just about me, it’s about them too. It’s their pride knowing that they’ve put a lot of work and effort into everything and now they can say ‘We’re number one’. It’s not so cool to say ‘We’re number four’ so they’ll be even happier than me!”
A world champion can, but does not have to, drive with the 1. Lewis Hamilton once decided against it and bet on 44.
Formula 1: Which number will Verstappen get?
Since Norris has now snatched the number 1 away from Verstappen, the Dutchman will have to switch to a different number in 2026.
In the years before his title, Verstappen started with the 33. In Las Vegas he explained that 3 was actually his favorite number.
“That’s a very good question! I’ll look at it in the winter, but my favorite number is 3. We just have to see if that’s even possible,” he said around the Las Vegas GP.
When Verstappen came to the premier motorsport class in 2015, number 3 was already occupied by Daniel Ricciardo. The Australian is no longer driving in Formula 1, but he is entitled to the number for two years after leaving F1.
The change also requires permission from the motorsport association FIA. “You first need approval for this because the number is not officially available yet,” explained Verstappen.