World champion Antonelli keeps number 12 for 2027, citing Senna tribute and superstition

Andrea Kimi Antonelli will not adopt the number 1 for the 2027 Formula 1 season, the newly crowned world champion confirmed after the Mexican Grand Prix, choosing instead to retain the number 12 he has carried throughout his career. The decision means the grid will go without a number 1 car for the first time since 2021, breaking the trend set by Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, both of whom switched to number 1 after claiming their titles.

For Antonelli, number 12 carries deep personal significance. It is a direct tribute to Ayrton Senna, the driver he considers his idol, and was the first number he used in single-seaters when he competed in Formula 4. He is also the first driver since Senna in 1988 to win the F1 world championship carrying number 12 — a symmetry the young Italian is clearly reluctant to abandon.

“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. “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.”

Beyond sentiment and humility, Antonelli offered a more candid, personal reason: superstition. “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!” he laughed. “So that’s one more reason to stay with number 12.”

That same superstitious streak shaped his mindset across the title-deciding weekend in Mexico. Antonelli revealed in the post-race press conference that he deliberately refused to consider the championship won before the chequered flag, having grown frustrated by premature congratulations — a detail Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff also referenced. “Until it’s done, it’s not done,” Antonelli said. “I knew that I still wanted to finish the job well.”

The modesty Antonelli displayed in Mexico is consistent with how he has carried himself throughout a remarkable debut season. After a standout performance in Austin, he was quick to credit his family and the Mercedes team rather than himself when asked how he handles pressure at such a young age — a quality that has become something of a trademark for the teenager as he navigates life as Formula 1’s youngest-ever world champion.