Verstappen to retain his starting number
On the back of his fourth Formula One world championship title, it has emerged that Max Verstappen will retain his starting number, clinging on to number 1 on his RB21. F1Technical's lead journalist Balazs Szabo reveals which starting numbers the 20 driver will race with in 2025.
Although the Hasselt-born racer's chosen race number is 33, Max Verstappen will continue to race under the number one next season, having secured his fourth-consecutive F1 drivers' title.
The current system was introduced in 2014, and the rules dictate that the reigning world champion can decide whether he uses his own race number or the number one.
Since the introduction of the system, Verstappen is the first to adorn the number 1 on his car since Sebastian Vettel did in that first year. Lewis Hamilton, who has won six drivers' championships since that point, opted to stick with his number 44 for each of his title defences.
His former team-mate Nico Rosberg secured the drivers' title in 2016, but he elected to retire from the sport just days after winning the crown, which meant that he was never able to race with the number one on his car.
Replacing seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, Andrea Kimi Antonelli has elected to use number 12 while Ferrari junior driver Oliver Bearman has opted to run number 87.
Following Esteban Ocon's sudden and shock departure from Alpine ahead of the season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Jack Doohan made his F1 debut with Alpine earlier than thought. The Australian will race with the number 7.
Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto elected to use number 5 as he is set to make his F1 debut with Sauber in 2025.
Liam Lawson replaced Daniel Ricciardo at the US Grand Prix at Austin, and the Kiwi opted for number 30 on his VCARB. With Lawson set to replace Perez at Red Bull, his vacant spot will be replaced by Isack Hadjar. The French driver, who ended this year's F2 championship in second behind Gabriel Bortoleto, will be running with number 6, wearing the same number as Nico Rosberg and Nicholas Latifi.
Starting numbers
1 - Max Verstappen
4 - Lando Norris
5 - Gabriel Bortoleto
6 - Isack Hadjar
7 - Jack Doohan
10 - Pierre Gasly
12 - Andrea Kimi Antonelli
14 - Fernando Alonso
16 - Charles Leclerc
18 - Lance Stroll
22 - Yuki Tsunoda
23 - Alexander Albon
27 - Nico Hulkenberg
30 - Liam Lawson
31 - Esteban Ocon
44 - Lewis Hamilton
55 - Carlos Sainz
63 - George Russell
81 - Oscar Piastri
87 - Oliver Bearman
