Kimi Antonelli keeps No. 12 after Formula 1 title
NXTbets Pro | Published On: November 2, 2026
Why Antonelli chose No. 12
Kimi Antonelli will keep racing with No. 12 in 2027, choosing to stay with the number that has shaped his rise instead of switching to No. 1 as Formula 1 world champion. The decision follows his championship season at age 20. Antonelli said No. 12 means more to him than a championship number ever could. He linked it to the way he wants to carry himself, saying it helps him stay grounded and humble. He also said it carries personal weight because it was the first number he used in single-seaters and because it honors Ayrton Senna. That made the choice simple for him, even with the sport’s biggest number available. Antonelli said he is superstitious, and he left no doubt that No. 1 does not hold the same appeal. He said the number has never been a good one for him and joked that things have gone badly whenever he has used it. For a driver who has already reached the top, the preference says as much about his mindset as it does about his racing number.
Antonelli’s title season
Antonelli’s choice comes after a season that delivered the Formula 1 world championship and turned him into the youngest champion in the series’ history. He clinched the title by finishing third at the Mexico City Grand Prix, a result that completed a run that had been building all season. The numbers behind the championship tell the story of a driver who kept delivering week after week. He won nine races this season and finished on the podium in all but three events. That level of consistency gave him the foundation to seal the title. Antonelli said Mercedes played a major part in that run, and he credited the team’s support along with his own season-long consistency for getting him to the top. The championship was not framed by a single flashpoint for him so much as by a steady stretch of results that helped him seal the title. That is part of why his decision about No. 12 carries extra weight. He is making it clear that his first championship does not change the identity he has built. He reached the sport’s highest level, but he plans to keep racing with the number that has been part of his path from the start.
Antonelli’s celebration plans
Antonelli said he wants to share the achievement with the people closest to him before moving fully back into race mode. He said he planned to celebrate with his family before focusing on the remaining races, and he also made it clear that he wants to include his friends and Mercedes in the moment. That reaction fits the tone he has carried through the season, with the title presented less as a personal victory alone and more as the result of a wide support system around him. He said he would celebrate after the Sao Paulo Grand Prix before turning his attention to Las Vegas, which gives the title run a short pause before the season keeps moving. Even with the championship secured, Antonelli is still thinking in racing terms, one event at a time. The next stretch matters to him, but so does the chance to recognize the people who helped him get here. That balance, between appreciation and focus, mirrors the reasons he gave for staying with No. 12. He wants the number that keeps him grounded, and he wants the celebration to reflect the team and family network behind the title. The championship gave him a new place in Formula 1 history. His response shows he plans to carry that place in the same way he earned it, without changing what already feels right.
