Kimi Antonelli won’t run the champion’s No. 1 on his Mercedes in 2027, saying No. 12 keeps him grounded and that No. 1 “has never been a good number” for him.
Antonelli gave his answer in the press conference after clinching the title in Mexico. It means No. 1 will be missing from the grid for the first time since 2021, Motorsport.com noted. Max Verstappen and Lando Norris both took it after winning their titles.
“I’ll stay with number 12 because, obviously, it’s a very special number for me, but also it’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,” Antonelli said.
“And also, to be honest, I’m very superstitious, and number one 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.”
The Senna Connection
Antonelli runs No. 12 to honor Ayrton Senna, who carried it at Lotus from 1985 to 1987 and during his first title season with McLaren in 1988, according to The Race.
The parallels go further. Antonelli is the first driver to win the title with No. 12 since Senna, and both men scored their first Grand Prix wins with it, RaceFans pointed out.
He has used it in single-seaters for years, including his Italian F4 title in 2022 and his Formula Regional European title in 2023. The one exception was Formula 2 in 2024, when he ran No. 4.
Where the Bad Luck May Have Started
Antonelli didn’t say which races he had in mind. The Race’s read is that he almost certainly means his karting years, and it points to the 2020 World Karting Championship in Portimao, Portugal. He was carrying No. 1 that day when a wet-weather crash with Maya Weug left him with a broken left leg and foot. Weug escaped injury.
A Senna Helmet for Brazil
He’ll bring another nod to Senna to Interlagos this weekend, 35 years after Senna won his home race with only sixth gear left.
“I will have a special helmet for Brazil, for Ayrton,” Antonelli said. “It’s going to be a tribute helmet for Brazil, for Ayrton, and I think it’s one of my best helmets that I’ve made.”
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