Lando Norris secured his first Formula 1 championship during the final race in Abu Dhabi, narrowly defeating reigning champion Max Verstappen by a mere two World Championship points. He will go down in history as the 35th world champion in the sport and the eleventh from the United Kingdom. Soon, he will receive his much-coveted trophy, but that’s not the only honor awaiting him: Norris has the privilege of bearing number 1 next year.
Every year, number 1 is reserved for the reigning world champion. For instance, Max Verstappen, who won his first title in 2021, raced with number 1 on his Red Bull car for the past three seasons. Before that, he consistently raced with number 33. However, it’s not mandatory to use number 1; Lewis Hamilton, for example, always chose 44 during his championship years, a number he has carried since his karting days.
Will Norris Race with Number 1?
The question is whether Lando Norris actually wants to race with number 1. As a newly crowned world champion, he is free to exchange his current number 4. Norris chose this number for his Formula 1 debut in 2019. Initially, he wanted to race with number 11, but it was already in use by Sergio Pérez at the time. Since then, number 4 has become closely intertwined with Norris and his personal brand: it’s incorporated into his logo and features in numerous sponsorship promotions. Time will tell whether he wants to temporarily exchange it for the championship number.
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen is required to switch to a different starting number. In the second half of the season, he was asked which number he would like to use next year, should he lose the title. His preference is for number 3, which he traditionally used. However, at his Formula 1 debut, he had to switch to 33, due to teammate Daniel Ricciardo. “You need approval for number 3; it’s not yet free because of Daniel,” Verstappen explained before the Las Vegas Grand Prix. A number remains reserved for up to two years after a driver’s departure. “But it is my favorite number, so we have to see if it’s possible,” he added. New rules around starting numbers could potentially assist Verstappen.
