Antonelli to stay with number 12 as champion in 2027
Newly crowned champion Kimi Antonelli has confirmed that he will keep his number 12 in 2027 instead of switching to the number 1 he is entitled to. As a result, no car on the 2027 grid is expected to carry the champion's number.
A champion who declines the 1
It is one of the little privileges of the title: the reigning world champion may swap his permanent race number for the 1. Kimi Antonelli, who clinched the 2026 drivers' championship in Mexico City on Sunday, will not use it. The Mercedes driver told reporters after the race that he intends to stay with number 12.
According to PlanetF1, Antonelli said on Sunday that he will "stay with number 12", citing what the number means to him, a wish to stay grounded and the fact that he is superstitious. The report adds that the 1 has never worked well for him.
Not a new decision
The answer confirms what Antonelli had signalled before the title was decided. Speaking to the Swiss newspaper Blick in the build-up to Mexico, he said he first had to finish the job, but that afterwards he would "still be racing with number 12", as reported by RacingNews365 and GPblog on 28 October.
The number has a long history for him. Both outlets point to Ayrton Senna, his idol, who raced with 12 from 1985 to 1988 and won his first world title with it at McLaren. RacingNews365 adds that 12 was his number when he first raced a single-seater in Formula 4 and that he was 12 years old when he joined Mercedes' junior programme. He also used it in his 2025 Formula 1 debut season.
How the number 1 works
Since drivers were allowed to pick permanent numbers in 2014, the champion can choose to carry the 1 in the following season. Sebastian Vettel did so after his 2013 title. Max Verstappen ran it from 2022 to 2025, and Lando Norris, who won the 2025 title, has used it this year, according to the reports.
Lewis Hamilton is the one champion who declined it, keeping his 44 at Mercedes. Antonelli follows that example. PlanetF1 notes that no driver is then expected to race with the 1 in 2027, which has not happened since 2021, when Hamilton was the defending champion.
By the numbers
The choice comes after a dominant year. Our race data shows Antonelli on 380 points after the Mexico City Grand Prix, 119 clear of Verstappen, with nine wins in 19 races and 16 podium finishes. At 20 he is the youngest champion the sport has had, overtaking Vettel.
The next race is the São Paulo Grand Prix on 8 November, where Antonelli's car will still carry the 12 on its nose.
