F1 LIVE | Piastri in talks with other teams, Verstappen explains new number choice

Good morning and welcome to today’s edition of GPblog’s liveblog. Check back at intervals to keep up with the latest happenings across the ever-buzzing F1 world.

Piastri in talks with other teams

Former McLaren driver Juan Pablo Montoya has claimed Oscar Piastri and his manager, Mark Webber, are in talks with other teams after the Australian missed out on the 2025 drivers’ championship.

The Colombian, in his assessment of the season of the 24-year-old, highlighted how displeased Piastri’s camp are with the McLaren team.

Oscar Piastri in Abu Dhabi - Photo: Race Pictures

The seven-time race winner, however, warned Piastri to ensure the scars from Webber’s frustrations as an F1 driver do not affect his decision-making processes.

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Verstappen explains new number choice

Max Verstappen has explained the rationale behind his start number switch. The Red Bull Racing driver will have to sport a new number for the 2026 season after missing out on the drivers’ championship.

However, Verstappen is opting against a switch back to the number 33, which had become synonymous with him before his maiden drivers’ title triumph in 2021.

The Dutch driver is instead opting for the number 3, previously used by former F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo.

Max Verstappen - Photo: Red Bull Content Pool

Explaining the rationale behind his decision, the four-time world champion highlighted how he had always been drawn to the number 3, which he describes as his favourite number.

Verstappen further joked that the 3 looked better than 33 on cars. It’s worth noting that Verstappen had already begun sporting the number 3 – most recently at his GT3 test in Estoril, where he utilised the number in his garage.

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Follow our channels on YouTube and Spotify to stay up to date with all the happenings as they unfold following the final Grand Prix of the campaign.

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Oscar Piastri is in talks with other teams, says ex-McLaren driver