Lando Norris has confirmed that he will display the number one on his McLaren car in the upcoming season. The British driver secured the 2025 Formula 1 drivers’ title by finishing third at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, edging out his Red Bull rival, Max Verstappen, by two points.
Norris, who previously identified with the number four, will now switch to the number one for the 2026 campaign, a tradition signifying excellence in the sport. Embracing the change, he emphasized the collective effort of his team at McLaren in achieving this milestone.
In contrast, Max Verstappen previously raced with the number 33 on his Red Bull car. It remains uncertain whether Verstappen will revert to this number or opt for the number three, which he expressed interest in before. FIA regulations dictate that drivers must wait two years before reclaiming their number after leaving F1.
While many champions choose to display the number one following a title win, Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time champion, has stuck with his iconic number 44 throughout his career, similar to Norris’s attachment to the number four.
Norris’s victory ended Verstappen’s 1,457-day reign as F1’s top driver and marked the conclusion of a 5,505-day period dominated by Red Bull and Mercedes champions. Prior to Norris, Jenson Button was the last non-Red Bull or Mercedes driver to secure a championship in 2009 with Brawn GP.
Having raced exclusively for McLaren in his F1 career, Norris expressed his long-standing desire to achieve championship success with the team. He stands out as the only F1 driver to win his first title after completing over 150 races with the same team.
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