Max Verstappen has driven with the number one on his car for the last four seasons as reigning world champion; the Red Bull driver has decided not to go back to the number 33 he used before his titles;

After his four-year championship streak was snapped in 2025, Max Verstappen is making a change for the upcoming F1 season.

“My favorite number has always been 3, apart from #1,” Verstappen said in an interview with Viaplay. “We can now swap, so it’ll be #3. #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.”

Fresh off the F1 season finale, Max Verstappen is already back on track — and his surprise GT3 test could hint at a bold new chapter in his racing career.

No Formula 1 driver puts pressure on his rivals quite like Max Verstappen. The Red Bull star did it to Lewis Hamilton in 2021, winning his first title on the last lap of the season and preventing Hamilton from clinching a record eighth F1 title.