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Come in No.3: champ Max hopes he has Danny Ric's number
Reuters • November 21st, 2025 12:36 pm
Daniel Ricciardo's old race car number three is much coveted by an old world champion teammate | Photo: AP
Max Verstappen has his eye on former teammate Daniel Ricciardo's old race car number if he has to relinquish the champion's No.1 next season.
Red Bull's four times world champion raced with the 33 before he took his first title in 2021, with plenty of numbered merchandise sold, but he told Dutch reporters in Las Vegas that he really wanted the Australian's number three.
A change in the rules, yet to be approved, means drivers will no longer have to stick with the same number through their careers but Ricciardo's remains technically unavailable despite him announcing his retirement.
Max Verstappen is after his old Aussie teammate Daniel Ricciardo's race number | Photo: AP
The rules say a driver must not have raced for two consecutive seasons before the number can be reassigned. Ricciardo raced in Singapore in September last year.
The number one is reserved for the champion, if he wants to use it, and must be given up when the reign ends.
"I will look at it over the winter, but my favourite number is three. We just need to see whether that is actually possible," Verstappen said.
The Dutch driver is 49 points behind McLaren's Lando Norris with three rounds remaining, including a sprint in Qatar next week.
