Max Verstappen to ditch iconic 33? Dutch star eyes permanent #3 switch for 2026. After losing his crown by just two points in 2025, Max Verstappen is planning a symbolic fresh start.

Max Verstappen may have lost the 2025 world championship by the narrowest of margins, but he is already planning a huge statement for his comeback year: a permanent racing number change that would end one of the most iconic symbols in modern Formula 1.

The Dutch superstar fought like a lion after his mid-season slump, dragging the Red Bull back into title contention race by race. In the end Abu Dhabi delivered heartbreak – just two points short of a fifth consecutive crown. For most drivers that would count as a moral victory after the way the first half of 2025 unfolded, but Verstappen has never been “most drivers”. Losing the throne has only sharpened his hunger, and the consequences will be felt as soon as the 2026 cars roll out of the garages.

The end of the famous #33?

Ever since his debut with Toro Rosso in 2015, Max has raced under the #33. When he claimed his first title in 2021 he switched to the champion’s #1 and kept it proudly for four straight seasons – right up to the 2025 finale. With Lando Norris now the rightful owner of the #1 for 2026, Max Verstappen faces a genuine crossroads.

Fans have long known that Max’s absolute favourite number has always been 3. The only reason he never took it was because, back in 2015, Daniel Ricciardo already had it locked down. Notice how 33 is simply a doubled-up version of that dream digit – the closest he could get at the time. Now, with Daniel Ricciardo retired and the single-digit 3 finally free, everything points to Verstappen making the switch he has wanted for a decade.

Max himself has dropped heavy hints over the years. In older interviews he openly admitted the #3 has always been his first love, while jokingly adding that 69 was a close second – “for obvious reasons” he laughed, ruling it out immediately. A nostalgic return to 33 is still possible, but insiders close to the Verstappen camp say the three-time world champion (soon to be four-time, he hopes) is ready to close the book on the double-digit era.

If the #3 does appear on the nose of the 2026 Red Bull, it will mark one of the most symbolic driver number changes in F1 history – the moment Max finally claims the digit he has carried in his heart since karting, and a loud declaration that he is coming back to reclaim everything he lost in 2025.