Kimi Antonelli will reject F1 tradition followed by Max Verstappen if he wins world championship

Kimi Antonelli has revealed that he doesn't plan to follow an age-old Formula One tradition that both Max Verstappen and Lando Norris did after winning the championship.

It's now just a matter of time until Mercedes youngster Antonelli is crowned the 2026 Drivers' World Champion following his surprise season of dominance.

The Mercedes driver only needs to finish ninth or higher at the Mexico City Grand Prix to secure the title, but when he does he isn't planning on carrying on a championship tradition that both Norris and Verstappen did.

READ MORE: Lando Norris reveals why McLaren's stunning Mexico GP livery is 'more than just a design'

Kimi Antonelli reveals plans to reject champion tradition for 2027 season

Heading into the Mexico Grand Prix, Antonelli has nine race wins this season, with 15 podiums and a sprint win, totalling 365 points.

The Italian has undoubtedly been the best driver this year, and will be a worthy winner of the championship whether he does it in Mexico or one of the other four races this year.

And when he does, he will earn the privilege to use number '1', which is solely reserved for the driver who most recently won the title.

But, despite the fact he's about to become the sport's youngest ever champion, he's revealed that he has no interest in changing his number next year.

"First, I have to get the job done in Mexico. But I think that once that's done, I'll still be racing with number 12," Antonelli told German outlet Blick.

This year, it is being Norris, who won his maiden title at last year's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, is racing with the number, taking it off Verstappen who raced as number one for four seasons prior, from 2022 to 2025

If he does pass up on the option to run number 1, Antonelli will be only the second champion to do so since the rule was introduced in 2014, following Lewis Hamilton, who has kept '44' during his successful stint with Mercedes.

READ MORE: Mercedes forced to drop George Russell for Mexican GP FP1 due to F1 rules

Why does Kimi Antonelli race with number 12?

There are a several reasons why Antonelli is so loyal to the number 12, which he's had for his entire F1 career.

Firstly, he races with 12 because that was his starting number when he made his debut in Formula 4 back in September 2021.

He was also 12 years old when he first joined Mercedes' junior program eight years ago.

Finally, Antonelli choose 12 to pay tribute to his idol Ayrton Senna, who raced with the number between 1985 and 1988, winning his first world title with it at McLaren

READ MORE: The 10 youngest F1 world champions in history as Kimi Antonelli closes in on incredible record