Verstappen: If I were team boss, I'd put a clear number 1 & 2

Verstappen, on the other hand, was a clear number one at Red Bull Racing; thus, all the resources of the team, their race strategy, and decisions overall were focused on making sure he won.

Now, it has to be said that Verstappen never had a teammate that could even get close to his level, which made the decision easy for Red Bull, while Norris and Piastri caused a dilemma for McLaren, as their performances were very comparable.

Red Bull, as well, have always had a lead driver in their car with another one in a supporting role since Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, the German selected as the #1 and duly delivering. Webber tried to resist on some occasions but to no avail.

The only time the Milton Keynes squad had a bit of an issue with their drivers fighting for supremacy was when Verstappen had Daniel Ricciardo as a teammate. Their relationship reached a flashing point with their crash in Baku in 2018.

But at the time, Red Bull backed Verstappen, and Ricciardo knew he had no place there and left for Renault and then McLaren.

Back to our time, Verstappen has been fighting the McLarens on his own for the past two seasons, as Sergio Perez struggled in 2024, while neither Liam Lawson, who replaced the Mexican for 2025 and lasted two races, nor Yuki Tsunoda was able to deliver any meaningful support.

The Dutchman, however, was not bothered by the fact he was fighting solo; he said: "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."

He also believed that McLaren's Papaya Rules played against them, as that allowed him and Red Bull to keep the Title fight alive till the final race of 2025 in Abu Dhabi.

The four-time F1 Champion added: "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.

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

While Verstappen managed to defeat Norris in 2024, the task was too much, even for his talent, in 2026, as he ended up losing out to the Briton by two points despite a most impressive midseason comeback that saw him claw back a 104-point deficit in the F1 Drivers' Championship.

(Quotes from Viaplay)