"Looks better than 33" – Max Verstappen on his new racing number for F1 2022 season

Max Verstappen commented on the new racing number he is going to use for the 2022 F1 season. The Dutchman claimed #1 "looks better than 33" when asked about his choice during the official reveal of the team's 2022 challenger, the RB18.

Drivers get to use #1 as their racing number as defending world champions. Verstappen is the latest title holder to have opted for the special number as he believes it is "better" than his usual racing number #33.

In January, the world champion debuted his new number as he took the 2012 title-winning Red Bull RB8 – fitted with special Pirelli snow tires – to the slopes of Austria for the GP Ice Race event.

The Dutchman called it a "straightforward" decision to use the number in 2022, claiming that these opportunities do not come often. He said:

“How many times do you get the opportunity to swap? Number one is the best number out there so for me it was very straightforward to pick the number one, and hopefully number 33 doesn’t come back next year!’’

Verstappen hinted that he had been thinking about the number change even before he secured his first title win. The driver confirmed his pick for 2022 in his first-ever interview as an F1 world champion, saying:

“Yeah, I will run it. How many times can you do that? I don’t know, maybe it’s the only time I can have in my life. It’s the best number out there. So I will definitely put it on the car.”

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Why did Max Verstappen choose #33 in his F1 career?

Given his popularity in the recent seasons of the sport, especially in 2021, most people immediately associate #33 with Max Verstappen. The Dutchman's reason for choosing the number was simpler than most would imagine.

The driver revealed that his favorite number was 3. Former Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo, however, had been running the number when Verstappen arrived in the sport. So the latter settled for 33, claiming it would give him "double the luck." He said:

“Actually, my favorite number is 3 but it was taken already by Daniel Ricciardo, so I couldn’t but then I was like you know what, I’ll just add another 3 behind it; it’s double luck.”

Perhaps the Dutchman was right in his numerical analysis, as many claim he was 'gifted' the 2021 title by race director Michael Masi and the FIA in the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

Max Verstappen will be the first driver since former Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel to feature the #1 on his car. Meanwhile, his team and fans will be hoping he is able to defend his maiden title with a special number.