New F1 World Champion Lando Norris has confirmed that he will use the number 1 on his car next season.
The number 1 is reserved for the reigning World Champion to use in Formula 1, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen having had ownership of that number since winning his first title in 2021, running it through the 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 seasons.
Norris usually races with the number 4 on the nose of his car but in 2026 he has opted to take the number that reflects his new status as an F1 World Champion, after the Briton triumphed by just two points with his podium finish in the Abu Dhabi finale.
“It’s tradition, it’s there for a reason,” Norris told Sky Sports News. “It’s there because you can go and try grab it and you can work hard to try and get it.
“All of us as a team that gets to have a role in McLaren, or my car, will get to wear that with pride. It’s all my mechanics, my engineers, everyone that’s part of McLaren gets to have that acknowledgement too.
“So, it’s not for me, it’s for them as well. It’s their pride, knowing that they put a lot of work and effort into everything that they can also go ‘we’re number one’.
“It’s not as cool when you say ‘we are number four’ so they will be even happier than I am!”
Since 2014, F1 drivers have been allowed to pick a number that would stick with them for their careers. In that time Lewis Hamilton was the only World Champion to decline to run the number 1 – with the choice being given to the driver. Instead, he always stuck with his own race number 44.
Verstappen previously raced under ‘33’ before becoming World Champion, but it remains to be seen if he will return to that number or apply to change for 2026.
As for Norris, he will roll out for pre-season testing next year with a new car, a new number and a new-found confidence as the reigning Formula 1 World Champion.
