During the 2025 Formula 1 season, there was widespread discussion about the internal rivalry between McLaren drivers and how the reigning world champion team managed Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri throughout the year. Fans and pundits alike debated the team dynamics and how driver pairings impact performance and strategy.
To pass some time during the long winter break, Max Verstappen and Gabriel Bortoleto joined the podcast ‘Pelas Pistas’ and explored several topics. One of the main subjects they tackled was how teams handle two drivers under the same roof and the decisions they would make if they were in the role of a Formula 1 team principal.
Two top drivers in the same team? Verstappen: “A scenario I would avoid”
Max Verstappen, four-time world champion with Red Bull Racing, offered a very clear and firm opinion on the matter. The Dutchman explained exactly what he would want for the good of a team: “As long as you’re not fighting for championships, everything is fine, but once the title is on the line, everything becomes more intense. Competing for the championship reveals the true side of people. These situations can be managed for a year, maybe two, but personally, I don’t find it sustainable. It’s a scenario I would avoid if I were the team principal. I wouldn’t take that risk.”
Verstappen’s reasoning is straightforward and carries a prediction that seems particularly relevant to McLaren: “Drivers will always try to find agreements between themselves. Even a successful team eventually falls apart. And believe me, it will happen very soon in F1. The most concerning aspect is the internal battle that arises. People will leave the team. At a certain point, it doesn’t matter how much success the team has achieved—the garage splits.”
His comments highlight the delicate balance that team principals must manage between fostering competition and maintaining harmony within their driver lineup. Verstappen’s experience as a champion gives weight to his prediction, underlining that even top-performing teams are vulnerable to internal tensions that can ultimately affect results and stability on and off the track.
Max
Verstappen’s perspective is shaped by years of leading a team where the hierarchy has often been clearly defined around his own success. As McLaren enters the 2026 era with two established stars, the pressure to maintain peace between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will be the ultimate test for Andrea Stella’s leadership. If Verstappen’s forecast holds true, the technical challenge of the new regulations might be secondary to the psychological battle taking place inside the Woking garage. History has shown that when two alphas share a cockpit, the explosion is often a matter of “when,” not “if,” and the fallout can shift the entire landscape of the driver market.
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