Verstappen has his eye on Ricciardo's old race number

Max Verstappen has his eye on former teammate Daniel Ricciardo's old race car number if he has to relinquish the champion's one next season.

Red Bull's four times world champion raced with the 33 before he took his first title in 2021, with plenty of numbered merchandise sold, but he told Dutch reporters in Las Vegas that he really wanted the Australian's #3.

A change in the rules, yet to be approved, means drivers will no longer have to stick with the same number through their careers but Ricciardo's remains technically unavailable despite him announcing his retirement.

The rules say a driver must not have raced for two consecutive seasons before the number can be reassigned. Ricciardo raced in Singapore in September last year.

The No 1 is reserved for the champion, if he wants to use it, and must be given up when the reign ends.

"I will look at it over the winter, but my favourite number is #3. We just need to see whether that is actually possible," Verstappen said.

The Dutch driver is 49 points behind McLaren's Lando Norris with three rounds remaining, including a sprint in Qatar next week.