Max Verstappen Insists Every Team Needs A “Number One Driver” to Thrive in F1

Max Verstappen pointed out that every team on the grid needed to declare a clear hierarchy among the drivers and select one as the No.1 driver.

Max Verstappen Insists Every Team Needs A “Number One Driver” to Thrive in F1

Max Verstappen (via Red Bull)

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Max Verstappen joined Red Bull mid-way through the 2016 season and hasn’t looked back in terms of performance ever since. Nearing over a decade at Milton Keynes, the Dutchman has only been outscored by his teammates for two years in Formula 1.

As such, Verstappen is certainly the clear No.1 driver within the team. Meanwhile, the likes of McLaren and Ferrari struggle to single out a driver as the No.1. Now, the four-time champion opens up on why every team needs a clear leader out of the two.

McLaren put forth one of the greatest performances in terms of sheer pace in the 2025 season. However, the team couldn’t decide on a clear No.1 driver, with Oscar Piastri even explaining the reasons behind this.

Though this seemed fair for both drivers, both of them suffered from uncertain team orders and lost out massively when the other driver was favored. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen emerged as the majority point scorer at Red Bull and hence was allowed to race according to his whims against his teammates.

Max Verstappen reckoned that if he were a team principal, he would put up a clear No.1 driver in place. The Dutchman accepted that the second driver still needed to be good enough to score points and help the team in constructor’s championship. Regardless, a clear hierarchy among the drivers needed to be drawn, and Verstappen wouldn’t hesitate to do that.

If I were a team boss, I would always put a clear number one and two in place. Of course, a number two who still scores enough points to compete for the constructors’ title. But a clear number one and two.

Max Verstappen told Viaplay.

Further, Max Verstappen pointed out how McLaren had two great drivers and could not decide on a clear No.1 among the two. Because of this decision from Woking to not prioritize one driver over the other, Verstappen was able to benefit a lot from it and shake things up in the title fight.

Oscar Piastri lost out on the title win and the runner-up spot because of the botched team orders at the Papaya Squad after they refused to label either of the drivers as No.1.

Because McLaren had two drivers, they gave away some things with their strategy. So, of course, we benefited from that too.

Max Verstappen added.

Max Verstappen reveals why he ‘prefers’ for teams to decide a clear No.1 driver

Max Verstappen was the only Red Bull driver who was capable of putting up a fight with both McLarens in the final stages of the 2025 season. Since the Dutchman was alone in the battle without Yuki Tsunoda, he was able to use this to his advantage. Tsunoda had to play the team game at the season finale in Abu Dhabi to strengthen Verstappen’s winning chances.

Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri (via Red Bull)
Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri (via Red Bull)

As such, Max Verstappen highlighted that he preferred clear hierarchies drawn between drivers so that he could go out on the track on his own and be much more aggressive. Verstappen then wished both McLaren drivers good luck if they were to continue racing as equal drivers in the coming season as well. The Dutchman pointed out that the drivers could decide among themselves on who getts the better end of the bargain.

When you’re on your own, you can go on the attack, you can be much more aggressive. I always prefer that, Look, if you’re a bit equal with the car, then I wish both [McLaren drivers] good luck, because then you can really decide it amongst yourselves.

Max Verstappen noted.

McLaren must ensure that neither of the drivers is put at a disadvantage after not selecting one driver as No.1. The 2025 season witnessed how the team almost threw away their driver’s title win following the botched team orders at the forefront. However, Woking certainly would have taken a lot of learnings from this season and aims not suffer from the same problems again.

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