Red Bull pecking order defined by drivers, not team - Marko

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Red Bull's Helmut Marko says Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen are on equal footing although he rates the latter's performance as superior in 2017.

Ricciardo finished fifth and just ahead of his team mate in the championship, but the Dutchman's trumped the Aussie in terms of race wins, 2 to 1.

Verstappen was recently awarded a lavish new three-year contract with Red Bull Racing while Ricciardo remains on the sidelines with regard to his future, leading pundits to believe the 20-year-old is now the team's de facto number one driver.

"I didn’t favour [Max], but in qualifying he was most of the time faster," explains Marko.

"With seven DNFs his season was not a walk in the park and sometimes his morale was really down, but it was a steep learning process for him and he came out better than he was before. His two wins were the proof.

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"We don’t have a number one. Both drivers are equally treated and it is up to them to define the pecking order. I will always love the faster one!"

Red Bull was once again slow to pick up the pace this year, with aerodynamic correlation issues dogging the Milton Keynes-based outfit in the early part of the season.

As it corrected its trajectory, engine reliability issues then came to the fore, but ultimately Marko believes both drivers made progress over the course of the year as they pushed each other.

"Ricciardo struggled a bit in the first half of the year but then adapted and on some occasions was at the same speed - and sometimes even faster - than Max.

"My verdict is both drivers developed from last season. They pushed each other to the next level and hopefully next year to the very top!

"On the circumstances - or let's say luck - we had more than ten DNF's. Picture this! This outstanding record speaks for itself.

"Without that we would have been significantly further up in both championships - P2 would very likely have been ours."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.