Verstappen delivers blunt verdict on Ferrari's driver pairing

Max Verstappen has little sympathy for Ferrari's latest intra-team tensions. The four-time world champion believes the Scuderia's decision to field two drivers with equal status invites the sort of confrontation witnessed in Mexico, and says he would never adopt that approach if he were running an F1 team.

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc clashed at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez during the Mexico City Grand Prix, prompting team principal Frederic Vasseur to speak with both drivers on Thursday evening in Sao Paulo in an effort to clear the air.

Asked by Viaplay for his view, Verstappen suggested the incident was less about the particular corner than the difficulty of managing two drivers who both expect to lead.

"If you simply had one clear number one and one clear number two, they would have gone through that corner in first and second, and they would have finished first and second as well. Or maybe first and third, but that's fine too. As a team, you're still scoring good points," Verstappen said.

A clear hierarchy, he argued, would help protect the team's overall result. Without one, neither driver has much incentive to yield.

'I would never sign two number-one drivers'

Leclerc had pointed to the layout of the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez when discussing the Mexico incident. Verstappen, however, sees it as a consequence of Ferrari's broader driver philosophy – one he has consistently opposed.

"I've said it before, people very often disagree with me, but if I were a team principal – if I had my own team – I would never sign two number-one drivers, because then you get this,” he continued.

"Then this is normal. One isn't going to give way to the other, because of course they both think they can win, and that's how I am too.

"So if I were a team principal, I would never go for two number-one drivers. Some people completely disagree with that, but that's fine as well."

Verstappen conceded that drivers do not always have control over the line-up or the circumstances surrounding a contract, but maintained that having two lead drivers inevitably complicates matters.

"Sometimes you might not have a choice in that either, but [having two lead drivers] does make everything more complicated,” he said.

A good car and a 'decent number two'

The Red Bull driver believes a competitive car matters more than having two star names sharing the garage. He cited his own 2023 campaign, when his points haul alone would have been enough to win the constructors' championship.

"If you have a good car, then you don't necessarily need that either, two number-one drivers. Just a decent number two," he said.

"Throughout Formula 1 history, it's also always been clear that something like that works perfectly well, even for years."

• Read also: Six points and plenty of questions for frustrated Ferrari duo

His argument calls to mind Hamilton's years alongside Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes and Michael Schumacher's partnership with Rubens Barrichello at Ferrari, both examples of title-winning teams operating with an established lead driver.

Ferrari, by contrast, must manage two accomplished drivers with ambitions of their own. Verstappen's view is blunt: equality in the garage may sound appealing, but it can become a liability when both men refuse to give ground.

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