Lando Norris has chosen which number he will race with in the 2026 F1 season, his first campaign as world champion after defeating Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri across the 2025 campaign.
The McLaren driver will temporarily shelve his regular number 4 in order to assume the number 1 from the Red Bull driver, who finished second in the standings.
Verstappen raced with the number 1, which is reserved for the world champion, in 92 grands prix from the start of 2022 to the most recent race, in Abu Dhabi, where Norris was crowned.
Lewis Hamilton famously opted not to take the number 1 during his reign, instead preferring to keep his number 44 on the front of his Mercedes challengers.
Verstappen's streak of holding the number 1 continuously was five rounds more than the 87 that Michael Schumacher, who had it adorn his Ferrari from the 2001 Australian Grand Prix until the 2005 Chinese Grand Prix, achieved.
However, the German driver held it for 120 grands prix in total, including the 1995 and 1996 F1 seasons.
Although, seven-time F1 drivers' champion raced in an era when the title winner was automatically assigned the number 1 car.
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes, Sam Coop and Nick Golding, as they look back on the title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Lando Norris' title victory is a major talking point, as is the hinted major changes at Red Bull after Max Verstappen's reign ended.
Rather watch the podcast? Then click here!
Get the latest F1 news from RacingNews365 directly in your Google feed! Click on the link below and you’ll see your favourite F1 website appearing even more often. That way, you’ll never miss any news, analyses, interviews, or exclusives.
Follow RacingNews365 on GoogleMost read
In this article
Never miss a thing from the Formula 1 season! Add the 2026 F1 schedule to your calendar at the touch of a button. Subscribe below and put the dates and times of every race directly on your PC or smartphone, so you don't miss a second from the new season.
Download the F1 calendar Download the F1 calendar
A variant with just the race and qualifying is also available.
Click here to download it..
Join the conversation!