Watching him race over the years, everyone in F1 knew that Max Verstappen winning a championship isn’t a question of ‘if’ but ‘when’. And last night in Abu Dhabi, that question was answered. Max Verstappen is now a Formula 1 world champion.

And although nobody will forget this fact, especially considering the entire season and the ending, Verstappen has some plans to let everyone know he is the No. 1. This is something the Red Bull driver spoke about before the Brazilian GP a few weeks ago.

The Dutchman answered a question about taking the #1 as his car number for the 2022 season. He said he’d embrace it because it is a rare opportunity and it comes with added incentives for merchandising.

“I would change to number ‘1’ without a doubt, how many times do you have the opportunity to drive with that number?” (Translated via Google Translate)

“It would be good for marketing and it seems like a smart decision,” Verstappen said.

It should be mentioned that no driver has driven with the No.1 ever since 2014. The last driver with that number on the car was Sebastian Vettel after he won the 2013 title.

So, neither Lewis Hamilton nor Nico Rosberg took the opportunity which Max Verstappen is ready to embrace in the next season. This is something Red Bull has appeared to confirm on their website.

A controversial end, but Max Verstappen was No. 1 throughout the 2021 season

Although the end was marred by some controversial decisions, nothing takes away from the fact that Verstappen drove like a No. 1 in 2021.

He led 652 laps, which is over 50% of the total laps in the season. The Dutchman featured on the podium 18 times, which is a record for most podiums in a season.

Verstappen won 10 of the 22 races this season, along with having 10 pole positions and six fastest laps.

All of this culminated into him becoming the champion in a title battle for the ages, maybe the greatest ever, which makes it all the more impressive.

So, the No. 1 driver from the 2021 season will drive the car No. 1 next season. But for now, he will unwind for a few weeks. And when he comes back, Max Verstappen would want to win his title No. 2 in the No. 1 Red Bull car.

Also Read: Here’s How Mercedes F1 Can Win the Appeal Against Max Verstappen to Hand Lewis Hamilton the Title