Verstappen says Ferrari tension is predictable with two number-one drivers

Max Verstappen says he would never hire two number-one drivers for the same team. In his view, neither would give way when both believe they can win, and he sees the recent friction between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc at Ferrari as the predictable result. He said he recognises the same mindset in himself.

Verstappen made the point in a conversation with Viaplay. At the race in Mexico, Leclerc tried to pass Hamilton on the outside, but Hamilton ran wide and Leclerc took the lead. Leclerc received a time penalty for gaining a lasting advantage by going off track. That penalty played a part in Verstappen’s victory; he kept both Ferraris behind him. Hamilton said afterwards that serious discussions were needed to prevent similar situations.

For the first time in a while, the Hamilton-Leclerc friction was quieter in Brazil, after a discussion at Ferrari following the Mexico race. Team principal Fred Vasseur still had plenty to manage.

Verstappen speculated that clearer roles could have changed the Mexico result: with one clear leader and a clear second driver, he said, the pair would have gone through that corner first and second and finished in those positions. Asked whether he would consider joining a team with that approach, he said he might not always have that choice. He argued that a good car does not necessarily need two number-one drivers and that a capable number two can work well for years in Formula 1.