After his last-lap pass in the 2021 season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit, four years ago today, Red Bull's Max Verstappen secured his first Formula 1 world championship, denying Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton what would have been a record-breaking eighth overall and a record-tying fifth in a row.
Four years later, it was McLaren's Lando Norris who withstood an all-time legendary Verstappen comeback to deny Verstappen what would have been his own record-tying fifth in a row, also in Abu Dhabi, despite Verstappen ending the year with three straight wins, 10 straight podium finishes, and the series lead in poles, wins, and laps led.
Since the 2014 season, drivers have been able to choose their permanent car numbers, though the No. 1 remains reserved for the reigning champion if he wants to run it.
Verstappen, who had used the No. 33 since he began his Formula 1 career in 2015 with Toro Rosso, opted to take the No. 1 for the 2022 season as the reigning world champion.
After winning the title again in 2022, he made the same decision for 2023, and after winning the title again in 2023, he made the same decision for 2024. He made the same decision for 2025 after winning the 2024 title.
And for 2026, Norris has opted to take the No. 1, switching over from No. 4, with Verstappen expected to use the No. 3, rather than the No. 33, provided he secures the blessing of former No. 3 driver and Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo.
Verstappen's initial decision marked the first time since the 2014 season that the No. 1 was chosen by the reigning world champion. Sebastian Vettel used that number in 2014 after winning four straight titles for Red Bull from 2010 to 2013. But Hamilton, who selected the No. 44, has never once taken the No. 1, not even amid his own run of four straight titles.
During this era, he won the world championships in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. He kept the No. 44 for 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, despite having had the opportunity to change to No. 1 each year.
The 2016 title was won by Nico Rosberg, who retired after the 2016 season. So again, the No. 1 was not used in 2017 either.
However, the No. 44 is not actually the only number Hamilton used during a championship-winning season.
Hamilton won his first title in his second Formula 1 season in 2008 when the old numbering system, based on the previous year's standings, was still being used, and during that season, he used the No. 22; McLaren, his team at the time, had been disqualified from the 2007 season due to the espionage controversy.
Take a look at the numbers that Hamilton used in his first seven seasons in the sport, from 2007 to 2013.
Year | Lewis Hamilton car number |
|---|---|
2007 | 2 |
2008 | 22 |
2009 | 1 |
2010 | 2 |
2011 | 3 |
2012 | 4 |
2013 | 10 |
Ironically, the No. 22 was also the number that Jenson Button used en route to winning his world championship with Brawn during the 2009 season, when Hamilton was the reigning world champion and actually did use the No. 1 for the only time in his career because of the aforementioned old numbering system.
Button would end up selecting the No. 22 as his permanent number in 2014 with McLaren. That number now belongs to Yuki Tsunoda, though Tsunoda is the one driver who competed in 2025 but won't be back in 2026. All car numbers are officially reserved for two seasons following a departure of any kind.
Hamilton chose the No. 44 since he had used that number for his first go-kart as a child. At that point, he and his father, Anthony Hamilton, didn't know what number to use, so they went with the number on the plate of Anthony's Vauxhall Cavalier. When given the opportunity to pick, Lewis has used it ever since, and it has become a massive part of his own brand.