Kimi Antonelli, the newly crowned 2026 Formula 1 World Champion, has confirmed his decision to retain his current race number 12 for the 2027 season. This choice means Antonelli will waive his right to compete with the number 1, traditionally reserved for the reigning champion.
Antonelli secured his maiden Drivers’ title with a third-place finish at the Mexico City Grand Prix, clinching the championship with four races remaining in his second Formula 1 season.
The 20-year-old Mercedes driver became the youngest F1 World Champion in history, at 20 years and 68 days old. This achievement surpassed Sebastian Vettel’s previous record from 2010 by over three years.
The Mexico City Grand Prix itself saw Max Verstappen take victory, with Lewis Hamilton finishing second. The race featured a red flag due to an accident involving Valtteri Bottas and a late Safety Car period following a crash for Arvid Lindblad.
As of the Mexico City Grand Prix, Antonelli has accumulated nine wins, seven pole positions, ten fastest laps, and nineteen podium finishes from 43 Formula 1 starts. He also holds records for the youngest polesitter, youngest driver to set a fastest lap, and youngest to score a grand chelem.
Under current FIA regulations, introduced in 2014, drivers select a permanent race number from 2 to 99 for their career. The number 1 is specifically reserved for the reigning World Champion, though its use is optional.
Sebastian Vettel was the first driver to exercise the option to use number 1 in 2014. Conversely, Lewis Hamilton consistently chose to retain his permanent number 44 throughout his championship-winning years. Nico Rosberg also did not use number 1 after his 2016 title, as he retired from the sport.
Max Verstappen utilized the number 1 on his Red Bull cars from 2022 to 2025 as the reigning champion. Lando Norris, the 2025 champion, carried the number 1 during the 2026 season.
Antonelli cited multiple reasons for his decision to maintain number 12 for the 2027 season.
I think I’ll stay with number 12. I’ll stay with number 12 because, obviously, it’s a very special number for me, but also it’s a way for me to stay grounded, to stay humble, and I feel like by keeping number 12 it allows me to have a new point where to start and build on everything again and try to improve. And also, to be honest, I’m very superstitious, and number one has never been a good number for me. Whenever I put it, it went extremely badly. So one more reason to stay with number 12. But, yeah, I will stay with number 12.
Antonelli’s choice ensures that the number 1 will not be present on the Formula 1 grid for the first time since 2021, when Hamilton was the defending champion.
Antonelli is contracted to Mercedes until at least the end of the 2027 season. His base salary for the 2026 season is reported at $3.4 million. However, his contract includes a bonus clause for winning the world title, which could increase his 2026 earnings to approximately $10-11 million.
