Every 2026 F1 driver number - and why they chose them

They were last seen on the cars of world champions, but as Formula 1 heads into 2026, some classic driver numbers have continued their return to the grid, recycled by a new generation of drivers as others quietly fall back into the pool.

Since 2014, F1 drivers have been able to choose their own permanent car numbers, which they must then use for the duration of their F1 career. However, if a driver does not enter a grand prix for two consecutive seasons, the sport’s governing body, the FIA, deems that career to have ended for numbering purposes, and the number becomes available once again.

That rule has helped bring several familiar numbers back into circulation in recent seasons. Sebastian Vettel’s No5, last used in 2022, returned to the grid with Gabriel Bortoleto, while Kimi Räikkönen’s No7 reappeared after a three-year absence with Jack Doohan at the start of 2025.

World champions still retain the right to switch to No1 in the season following a title win, a privilege Max Verstappen has continued to exercise when eligible and that Lando Norris will do as well in 2026. As ever, no driver has yet been brave enough to choose No13, which remains conspicuously unused.

• Which F1 numbers can’t be chosen by drivers?
• Can F1 drivers change their racing number?

Before 2014, car numbers were allocated annually based on the previous year’s constructors’ championship standings. Under the current system, drivers may choose almost any number from 2 to 99, provided it has not been used by a permanent driver in either of the previous two seasons. There is one permanent exception: No17, retired in honour of Jules Bianchi, who raced with Marussia until he sustained fatal injuries in the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix.

Below is a full list of confirmed numbers for the 2026 F1 grid. Click on any driver to find out why they chose their particular number.

2026 F1 driver numbers

Why did F1 drivers pick their numbers?

Alpine

Pierre Gasly No10

Before reaching F1, Pierre Gasly had already formed a special connection with the number 10, having raced it to great success in the 2013 Formula Renault European Championship — where he took the title by a dominant margin.

But the inspiration behind the Frenchman’s driver number choice originally stems from football legend Zinedine Zidane, who wore the number 10 shirt while playing for France.

Franco Colapinto No43

Franco Colapinto’s 2025 Williams will carry No 43 – a number never before used in Formula 1.

The Argentine has a history with it, having raced under the number during his formative years in karting and later in Formula 4.

It has since become something of a personal trademark, with Colapinto using it whenever regulations allowed in junior categories.

Aston Martin

Fernando Alonso No14

Fernando Alonso’s special connection with No14 dates back to his junior days in karting.

“When I was 14 years old, the 14th of July, and with the go kart number 14, I was world champion,” explained the Spaniard. “From that moment I had no doubt that 14 is my number.”

Lance Stroll No18

Superstition was the main reason behind Lance Stroll’s choice of No18 for his F1 driver number, having previously won titles with it in Formula 3 and Formula 4.

“I’m a little bit superstitious, not very superstitious but little things like that are important to me,” he said.

“I’ve just stuck with it ever since and I don’t want to change.”

Audi

Gabriel Bortoleto No10

The 2024 F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto revived the No5 when he joined the F1 grid in 2025, bringing back the number last used by four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel who retired from the series in 2022.

The Brazilian has had success with the number before, as it adorned the front of his title-winning F3 car in 2022. After an impressive debut season, he will hope to carry that same form into his Audi career, as the team rebrands from Sauber.

Nico Hülkenberg No43

The No27 is another special number in Formula 1, having previously adorned the front of Ayrton Senna’s title-winning McLaren MP4/5B in 1990, as well as Gilles Villeneuve’s Ferrari.

In 2026, it will sit proudly with Nico Hülkenberg at Audi. But the German’s reason for choosing the number is a little more personal, as No27 is the day (19) and month (August/8) of his birth added together (19+8=27).

Cadillac

Sergio Perez No11

Sergio Perez’s return to the F1 grid in 2026 also marks the return of No11, a number synonymous with the Mexican’s career.

Perez originally chose No11 as a nod to his karting days and has used it throughout his time in F1, from his early years at Sauber through race-winning spells with Force India, Racing Point and Red Bull. On his comeback with Cadillac, the number once again reflects continuity, with Perez leaning on a familiar identity as he looks to re-establish himself on the grid.

Valtteri Bottas No77

Valtteri Bottas’s comeback with Cadillac brings back No77, the number he has used throughout his career in the championship since the introduction of permanent driver numbers.

Bottas chose No77 as a simple extension of No7, which he raced with in his junior career but was unavailable in F1, and it has since become closely associated with his most successful years, including his time as a multiple race winner with Mercedes.

Ferrari

Charles Leclerc No16

Charles Leclerc had his heart set on No7 ahead of his F1 debut in 2018. But since it was being used by Kimi Räikkönen, he had to get a little more creative.

He settled on No16, partly because it was his birthday, but also because “one plus six equals seven”.

Lewis Hamilton No44

Lewis Hamilton has won six of his seven F1 world championships with No44 adorned on his car. But his special relationship with the figure began much, much earlier.

“When I was eight, we got a really old go-kart and it was owned by, like, five or six different families,” the Briton explained. “It was from the back of the newspaper. My dad got this kart, rebuilt it and we had to enter our first race and my dad didn’t know what number to use. And on the number plate of his car was F44.

“That’s the number we raced with for many years. It’s the number that my family recognised the most. It’s the number that has been loyal to me and to my fans.”

Haas

Esteban Ocon No31

Esteban Ocon took inspiration from his own junior career when it came to picking his F1 driver number.

While running No31, the Frenchman had what he describes as the best year of his career in 2007, winning the 2007 Championnat de France title in the Minime category in karting.

He has since carried that success over into F1, winning the 2021 Hungarian GP with the same race number.

Oliver Bearman No87

Oliver Bearman is another driver who will race with a ‘family number’ in Formula 1 — the No87 having previously been used by his father, David.

“It’s the number that I’ve raced since the beginning,” said the Briton.

“It’s a number that my dad raced with because I’m born on May 8 and my brother on August 7, so 87 was the number of choice and that will continue to be the case.”

McLaren

Lando Norris No1

Before winning the 2025 title, Lando Norris had originally considered choosing No46 as his F1 race number, in tribute to his motor racing hero Valentino Rossi. The Briton ultimately decided against it, explaining that he did not want to be seen as a “copycat”, and instead settled on No4.

As reigning world champion in 2026, Norris will exercise his right to run No1, temporarily setting aside No4, which he will revert to in future seasons should he no longer hold the title.

Oscar Piastri No81

Even in his relatively young F1 career, Oscar Piastri has already seen plenty of success with No81.

The Aussie originally raced with No11 during his go-kart years, but was forced to switch at the Victorian State titles after another driver entered with the same number.

“I don’t know what inspired me to pick 81,” explained Piastri. “But I changed the first one for a number eight, and it stuck ever since. So, there you go!”

Mercedes

Kimi Antonelli No12

The No12 is a special one in F1 circles, as it was previously used by a young Ayrton Senna, who raced with it for his first grand prix win in 1985 right through to his first drivers’ title in 1988.

The Brazilian maestro was part of the inspiration behind Kimi Antonelli’s number choice ahead of his rookie F1 campaign last season. But the Italian has been in No12 cars since his F4 days, and saw “no reason to change it”.

George Russell No63

George Russell races with the ‘family number’ in Formula 1.

As well as being stuck to the side of his Mercedes, No63 was previously used by Russell’s brother Benjy — an accomplished racer in his own right who in 2007 won the 2007 Super 1 National Kart Championship in the Rotax Max category.

Racing Bulls

Liam Lawson No30

Liam Lawson has chosen to pay tribute to his karting mentor, who had run No30 on his own kart and taught the Kiwi “everything I know”.

“[30] wasn’t actually the very first number I drove with, that was 18,” explained Lawson ahead of his first F1 season. But [in] my first year of go kart racing, I moved into a team, and there was a guy who looked after me, who became like my hero, my idol, when I was a kid in go karts, and he ran with number 30 – so I picked number 30 because of him.

“I’ve held that number all the way through until today. I’ve told him as well that I’m bringing our number into Formula 1 and he’s ****ing stoked!”

Arvid Lindblad No41

Arvid Lindblad will make his Formula 1 debut with Racing Bulls in 2026 carrying No41, a number new to the F1 grid with the arrival of the highly rated Red Bull junior.

Lindblad has not publicly detailed the reasoning behind his choice.

Red Bull

Max Verstappen No3

Max Verstappen will line up in 2026 with a new race number, switching from the No1 he has run in recent seasons to No3 – a number long associated with his former Red Bull team-mate Daniel Ricciardo.

Ricciardo had been the sole holder of No3 since permanent driver numbers were introduced in 2014, having already been established on the grid ahead of his move to Red Bull that season. Verstappen joined F1 a year later and instead adopted No33, while continuing to regard No3 as his preferred choice.

Having relinquished the drivers’ title to Lando Norris in 2025, Verstappen no longer has access to No1, and a change to the numbering regulations — approved in time for 2026 — has opened the door for reigning or former champions to switch their assigned number. Ricciardo, who ended his F1 career in 2024, also granted approval for the early release of No3

Isack Hadjar No6

Isack Hadjar has had a long-term connection with No6, having used it during his karting days as a junior in France.

The number was previously used by Nicholas Latifi, who left Williams following the 2021 season. Before him, it adorned the nosecone of 2016 F1 world champion Nico Rosberg.

Williams

Alex Albon No23

In similar fashion to Lando Norris, Alex Albon looked to MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi for inspiration when it came to picking his F1 driver number.

But, not wanting to replace The Doctor himself, Albon elected to halve the Italian’s race number (No46) and settle for No23.

Carlos Sainz No55

Carlos Sainz took a marketing-first approach to his F1 driver number choice.

The Spaniard originally wanted No5, but since it was, at the time, being used by Sebastian Vettel, Sainz chose 55 instead.

“One S is one five. The other S is another five. So, it’s a 55,” he explained.

Which F1 numbers can’t be chosen by drivers?

For now, the driver numbers used by Kevin Magnussen (No20), Zhou Guanyu (No24), Logan Sargeant (No2), Jack Doohan (No7) and Yuki Tsunoda (No22)  during the 2024 and 2025 seasons remain reserved for them. If each driver doesn’t race in F1 during the next two years, their number will be available to be picked by a rookie from 2027 and 2028 onwards, respectively.

Formula 1’s sporting regulations state: “A driver’s career in Formula 1 will be deemed to have ended if he does not participate in a Competition for two entire consecutive championships.”

No driver is able to select the No17 as a mark of respect for Jules Bianchi, who crashed in his Marussia car during the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix. He died as a result of his injuries nine months later. Jean Todt, then president of the FIA, announced: “The FIA believes it to be an appropriate gesture to retire Jules Bianchi’s No17. “As a result, this number can no longer be used for a car competing in the FIA Formula One World Championship.”

Before 2014, when numbers were allocated automatically based on the previous year’s constructors’ standings, superstition meant that the number 13 was never issued, and no driver has yet been brave enough to pick it.

Can F1 drivers change their racing number?

Once drivers are assigned their permanent F1 number, then they carry it with them throughout their career, from team to team. The only exception is if they win the world championship, in which case they are able to use No1 for the following season.

While Hamilton declined the option and stuck with his No44 after winning world championships with Mercedes, Verstappen took up the right and used it from 2022 to 2025. Lando Norris will now take it up in 2026.

The rules are different for reserve drivers. Each team is allocated numbers to use in the event that one or both of their permanent drivers need to be replaced temporarily. In 2023, Lawson used the number 40 when he stood in for the injured Ricciardo for AlphaTauri.

However, in 2024, when he replaced Ricciardo mid-season, he was given his permanent number 30, which now remains with him.