Ricciardo, who was Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull from 2016 to 2018, contested his last Formula 1 race to date in Singapore in 2024. Since Formula 1 recently relaxed its rules and allowed drivers to change their starting number if they registered in time before the season, Verstappen has already announced that he would try for number 3 in the event of losing his world title. The problem: According to the regulations, a starting number is only released again if the driver in question has not competed in a race for two seasons. The deadline had not yet expired for Ricciardo.
The Australian, whose relationship with Verstappen is considered to be very good, is no longer planning a comeback and was therefore generous: he released “his” number 3 early. That’s why Verstappen can now take advantage, as he himself announced on “Viaplay”: “It won’t be number 33. My favorite number has always been three, apart from number 1. Now we can change. It will be number 3,” he said. “The 33 was always fine, but I prefer a single three to two threes. I’ve always said that it means double luck, but of course I’ve already had my luck in Formula 1,” said Verstappen.