Kimi Antonelli reveals why he won’t take number 1 for the 2027 F1 season

Novembro 2, 2026 lojamais44@gmail.com

The number 1 will not be seen on the Formula 1 grid next season for the first time since 2021. Max Verstappen and Lando Norris have consistently decided to take the opportunity to claim number 1 after winning their world titles, but Antonelli will not do so.

Asked by Motorsport.com whether he would switch to number 1 or whether number 12 held such special meaning for him that he wanted to keep it, he explained after the race in Mexico: “I think I’ll stay with number 12.

“I’ll stay with number 12 because, obviously, it’s a very special number for me”, Antonelli said shortly after replacing Sebastian Vettel as the youngest world champion of all time.

The number 12 is a tribute to Antonelli’s idol Ayrton Senna and was also the first number he used in single-seaters, in Formula 4. Another nice detail is that Antonelli is also the first driver since Senna in 1988 to clinch the F1 world title with the number 12.

Beyond this special meaning, Antonelli has a second reason for keeping number 12, one that reflects who he is as a person.

“It’s also a way for me to stay grounded, to stay humble. I feel like keeping number 12 allows me to have a new point where to start and to build on everything again and try to improve more.”

His modesty has proved to be an important quality on several occasions this year. Even after his impressive performance in Austin, when asked by this website how he manages to cope so well with the pressure at such a young age, Antonelli was particularly keen to give credit to his family and the people at Mercedes instead of himself.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Photo by: Steven Tee / LAT Images via Getty Images

Besides the value he attaches to number 12, Antonelli indicated that he has not had good experiences with the number 1, providing another reason not to make the switch.

“To be honest, I’m very superstitious and number one has never been a good number for me. Whenever I put it [on], it went extremely badly!” Antonelli laughed.

“So that’s one more reason to stay with number 12.”

That superstition also played a role for Antonelli during the race weekend in Mexico, as he revealed in the post-race press conference. It meant he absolutely did not want to think the title was already in the bag, as he feared he might jinx the outcome.

“I kept hearing the same thing over and over again”, Antonelli said, referring, according to Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, to the fact that many people had already congratulated him prematurely on winning the world title on Friday.

“And, you know, I’m quite straightforward on this: until it’s done, it’s not done. So, I knew that I still wanted to finish the job well, and it’s not easy when you keep hearing from many people, guests, fans, congratulations for the championship.

“Knowing myself, I’m very superstitious. And I’m telling you, it’s not easy for me, especially being that superstitious!”