Kimi Antonelli: No No. 1 in 2027—Here’s Why

According to the rules, winning the Formula 1 world championship opens the door to a privilege reserved for very few: the option (with no obligation) to give up one’s race number in order to display the number 1 on the livery of one’s car the following year. However, fresh off his world championship triumph with Mercedes at the Mexico City circuit at just twenty years old, Kimi Antonelli surprised everyone by announcing his decision not to exercise this option for the 2027 Formula 1 championship.

The young talent from Bologna has in fact chosen to remain loyal to his number 12, driven not only by an emotional attachment to the number but also by a healthy dose of superstition. Behind this choice lies, first and foremost, a strong connection to the legend of Ayrton Senna, a true guiding light in the Italian driver’s development. The number 12 was, in fact, the iconic number that accompanied the Brazilian champion during his early years at Lotus and throughout his journey to his first World Championship victory with McLaren.

For Antonelli, keeping that number on his car serves as a constant tribute to his lifelong idol and a moral compass to keep improving. Alongside his sporting inspiration, the new world champion’s words also reveal a touch of superstition combined with the need—as he himself expressed—to maintain the right amount of humility after such a great success and to start the next season with the same motivation and the same hunger for victory.

“I’ll keep the number 12 because it was Ayrton Senna’s, and he’s always been my source of inspiration,” Antonelli said from Brazil, where met with the family of the ill-fated Brazilian champion—. “I also have to admit that I’m superstitious, and when I had the number 1 on my car, things didn’t go well: one more reason to stick with 12, which, on top of everything else, helps me keep my feet on the ground and will give me the perspective I need to start from scratch next year.”