Lando Norris has confirmed that he will race with the number one on his McLaren in the 2026 Formula 1 season, following his dramatic victory in the 2025 drivers' championship. The British driver secured the title by finishing third at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, finishing just two points ahead of his main rival, Max Verstappen.
Norris, who has long been associated with the number four, announced that he will retire this personal brand number in favor of the number one—the traditional symbol worn by the reigning world champion. Speaking to Sky Sports News, he emphasized the significance of the number: “It’s tradition. It’s there for a reason. 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.”
Norris acknowledged the contribution of his entire McLaren team, saying, “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!”
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Max Verstappen, who has held the number one since 2022, previously raced with number 33 and had expressed interest in switching back to number three. However, FIA regulations require a driver to be out of Formula 1 for two full seasons before their old number becomes available to others, making any immediate switch unlikely.
Not all champions adopt the number one; Lewis Hamilton, with seven titles, famously continues to race with his well-known number 44, which has become an integral part of his brand—similar to how Norris had embraced the number four.
Norris' victory not only ended Verstappen’s 1,457-day reign as F1 champion but also broke a long-standing pattern. For the past 5,505 days, every world champion had raced for either Red Bull or Mercedes. Before Norris, the last champion to win outside those teams was Jenson Button in 2009 with Brawn GP.
Having spent his entire Formula 1 career with McLaren, Norris expressed pride in achieving his title with the team he joined from the start. He is the only driver to win his first championship after competing in over 150 races for the same team.