{"id":4910,"date":"2026-11-03T12:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-03T15:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/?p=4910"},"modified":"2026-11-03T12:25:45","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T15:25:45","slug":"kimi-antonelli-confirms-2027-f1-race-number-following-maiden-title-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/kimi-antonelli-confirms-2027-f1-race-number-following-maiden-title-win\/","title":{"rendered":"Kimi Antonelli confirms 2027 F1 race number following maiden title win"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">News Summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Kimi Antonelli has confirmed he will continue racing with No. 12 in the 2027 Formula 1 season after winning his maiden World Championship.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Mercedes driver secured the 2026 title with a third-place finish at the Mexico City Grand Prix, becoming the youngest world champion in F1 history at 20 years old.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Antonelli explained that No. 12 has a special personal meaning and that keeping it will help him remain grounded, while superstition also played a role in his decision.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Italian&#8217;s superstition dates back to his karting days, when he broke his left leg and foot in a crash while racing with No. 1 at the World Karting Championship in Portimao in 2020.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Kimi Antonelli has confirmed that he will retain his No. 12 for the 2027 Formula 1 season, despite becoming the reigning World Champion<\/strong>. The Mercedes driver decided against switching to the traditional No. 1 after securing his maiden title at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday, November 1st.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/antonelli-becomes-youngest-f1-world-champion-as-verstappen-wins-chaotic-2026-mexican-gp\/\">The Italian clinched the championship with a third-place finish at the Aut\u00f3dromo Hermanos Rodr\u00edguez<\/a>, becoming the youngest World Champion in Formula 1 history at the age of 20. Antonelli also secured the title in only his second season in the category, following his debut with Mercedes in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speaking after the race in Mexico, Antonelli revealed that he has no intention of changing his racing number for the upcoming campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think I&#8217;ll stay with number 12,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI&#8217;ll stay with number 12 because, obviously, it&#8217;s a very special number for me. But also it&#8217;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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/f1-2026-mexico-cidade-do-mexico-corrida-mercedes-kimi-antonelli-02-1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"F1 2026, M\u00c9XICO, CIDADE DO M\u00c9XICO, CORRIDA, MERCEDES, KIMI ANTONELLI\" class=\"wp-image-1020320120\" srcset=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/f1-2026-mexico-cidade-do-mexico-corrida-mercedes-kimi-antonelli-02-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/f1-2026-mexico-cidade-do-mexico-corrida-mercedes-kimi-antonelli-02-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/f1-2026-mexico-cidade-do-mexico-corrida-mercedes-kimi-antonelli-02-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/f1-2026-mexico-cidade-do-mexico-corrida-mercedes-kimi-antonelli-02-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/f1-2026-mexico-cidade-do-mexico-corrida-mercedes-kimi-antonelli-02-1-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/f1-2026-mexico-cidade-do-mexico-corrida-mercedes-kimi-antonelli-02-1.jpg 1620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Antonelli will use the same number as Senna did from 1985 to 1988 (Photo: Mercedes)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The newly crowned champion also admitted that superstition influenced his choice, explaining that the number 1 had not brought him positive experiences in the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAnd also, to be honest, I&#8217;m very superstitious, and number 1 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&#8243;, Antonelli added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Italian&#8217;s superstition dates back to his karting days. In November 2020, when was 14 years old, Antonelli suffered a serious crash during the final of the FIA World Karting Championship in Portimao, Portugal, while racing with No. 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The incident occurred on the second lap of the OK category final, which was being held in wet conditions. Antonelli hit the kart of Maya Weug, who had spun on the track. The collision prompted race officials to red-flag the event, while Weug was thrown from her kart but escaped without injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Antonelli was subsequently diagnosed with a broken left tibia and a fractured metatarsus, an injury that affected both his leg and foot. The crash marked a difficult moment in the young Italian&#8217;s karting career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why will Antonelli keep No. 12 in 2027?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Antonelli&#8217;s decision is closely connected to his admiration for Ayrton Senna. The Brazilian legend raced with No. 12 from 1985 to 1988, the latter being the year he secured his first Formula 1 World Championship with McLaren.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/f1-2026-mexico-cidade-do-mexico-corrida-podio-mercedes-kimi-antonelli-06-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"F1 2026, M\u00c9XICO, CIDADE DO M\u00c9XICO, CORRIDA, P\u00d3DIO, MERCEDES, KIMI ANTONELLI\" class=\"wp-image-1020320095\" srcset=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/f1-2026-mexico-cidade-do-mexico-corrida-podio-mercedes-kimi-antonelli-06-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/f1-2026-mexico-cidade-do-mexico-corrida-podio-mercedes-kimi-antonelli-06-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/f1-2026-mexico-cidade-do-mexico-corrida-podio-mercedes-kimi-antonelli-06-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/f1-2026-mexico-cidade-do-mexico-corrida-podio-mercedes-kimi-antonelli-06-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/f1-2026-mexico-cidade-do-mexico-corrida-podio-mercedes-kimi-antonelli-06-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/f1-2026-mexico-cidade-do-mexico-corrida-podio-mercedes-kimi-antonelli-06-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/f1-2026-mexico-cidade-do-mexico-corrida-podio-mercedes-kimi-antonelli-06.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Antonelli is a huge Senna fan (Photo: Mercedes)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Mercedes driver has also used the number throughout much of his junior career. No. 12 accompanied Antonelli during his rise through some single-seater categories and remained on his car when he made his Formula 1 debut in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By retaining the number, Antonelli will continue using a symbol associated with both his childhood idol and his own development as a racing driver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Antonelli follows Hamilton&#8217;s example by rejecting No. 1<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under Formula 1 regulations, the reigning World Champion is entitled to use No. 1 in the following season. However, the choice is not mandatory, allowing drivers to retain their regular numbers if they prefer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lewis Hamilton consistently opted to keep No. 44 during his championship-winning years with Mercedes. Max Verstappen, meanwhile, used No. 1 after winning his first title in 2021, while Lando Norris adopted the number for the 2026 season following his championship triumph in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Antonelli&#8217;s decision means he will begin his title defense with the same number that accompanied him throughout his career, rather than using the number traditionally associated with the reigning champion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Italian will now turn his attention to the remainder of the 2026 campaign, with his first championship already secured and Mercedes preparing to defend its position at the top of Formula 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">FAQ<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What number will Kimi Antonelli use in Formula 1 in 2027?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kimi Antonelli will continue racing with No. 12 in the 2027 Formula 1 season, despite winning the 2026 World Championship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why does Kimi Antonelli use No. 12?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Antonelli considers No. 12 a special number because of its connection to Ayrton Senna, his childhood idol. He has also used it throughout much of his junior racing career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why is Kimi Antonelli superstitious about No. 1?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Antonelli&#8217;s superstition dates back to his karting days, when he broke his left tibia and a metatarsus in a crash while racing with No. 1 at the 2020 World Karting Championship in Portimao.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can the Formula 1 World Champion choose not to use No. 1?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes. Formula 1 regulations allow the reigning World Champion to use No. 1, but the choice is optional. Drivers can retain their regular racing numbers instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Did Kimi Antonelli become the youngest F1 World Champion?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes. Antonelli secured the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship at the age of 20, surpassing Sebastian Vettel&#8217;s previous record as the youngest champion in the sport&#8217;s history.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mercedes driver will retain No. 12 instead of adopting the traditional champion\u2019s No. 1 after securing his first Formula 1 World Championship in Mexico<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":1020320144,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"42wp_featured_image_caption":"Antonelli will keep No. 12 in 2027","42wp_featured_image_credits":"Mercedes","42wp_featured_video":"","42wp_ai_content_disclaimer":"","42wp_is_ai_content":false,"42wp_featured_image_hidden":false,"42wp_authors_list":[{"id":31,"location":""}],"footnotes":"","42wp_hide_from_automatic":false,"42wp_breaking_news":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[19,211,16],"42wp_author":[31],"class_list":["post-4910","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-f1","tag-andrea-kimi-antonelli","tag-ayrton-senna","tag-mercedes","42wp_author-bernardo-castro"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4910","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4910"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4910\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4911,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4910\/revisions\/4911"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1020320144"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4910"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4910"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4910"},{"taxonomy":"42wp_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/42wp_author?post=4910"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}