While Verstappen and Red Bull did not enjoy the same level of dominance as seen in their runs to the 2022 and 2023 title doubles, Verstappen nonetheless withstood the attack of McLaren’s Lando Norris and secured his fourth consecutive World Championship in F1 2024, sealing the deal with two rounds to spare at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
And this was not the only F1 title streak which Verstappen has kept in-tact, as he was also voted the top F1 driver by the team principals for the fourth season in a row.
However, this time, every single team boss voted Verstappen as number one, something which has not happened before in the time that Formula 1 has conducted the vote.
So much for the anonymity promise that comes with it!
All participating were Andrea Stella (McLaren), Fred Vasseur (Ferrari), Christian Horner (Red Bull), Toto Wolff (Mercedes), Mike Krack (Aston Martin), Oli Oakes (Alpine), Ayao Komatsu (Haas), Laurent Mekies (Racing Bulls), James Vowles (Williams) and Alessandro Alunni Bravi (Sauber), with everyone voting Verstappen top dog.
The poll works using the Formula 1 points system, meaning the driver that a team boss votes P1 – Verstappen for all 10 of them in this case – gets 25 points, down to one for a driver voted P10.
Like in the F1 2024 Drivers’ Championship, McLaren’s Lando Norris and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc complete the top three, while Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso dropped a gutting seven places from P2 to P9 on the 2024 rankings after a bruising season for the two-time World Champion which failed to yield a podium.
Let’s take a look at the full top 10 for F1 2024, as voted for by the team principals:
1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull
2. Lando Norris, McLaren (+1 from 2023)
3. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari (+1)
4. Oscar Piastri, McLaren (+3)
5. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari (+1)
6. George Russell, Mercedes (+3)
7. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes (-2)
8. Nico Hulkenberg, Haas (new to top 10)
9. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin (-7)
10. Pierre Gasly, Alpine (new to top 10)
Verstappen will go into F1 2025 looking to make it five World Championship titles on the bounce, and he will find a new teammate on the other side of the Red Bull garage as he bids to do so.
That new teammate is Liam Lawson, who steps up from Racing Bulls after the departure of Sergio Perez.
Lawson is ready to “learn” from Verstappen, but Horner – while holding complete faith in Lawson – warns the Kiwi that he is taking on a “daunting” task.
Verstappen has grown into something of a teammate destroyer at Red Bull, with Gasly, Alex Albon and Perez most recently all struggling under the weight of the pressure applied by the Dutchman’s performances.
“There’s no doubt that racing alongside Max, a four-time champion and undoubtedly one of the greatest drivers ever seen in F1, is a daunting task,” said Horner, “but I’m sure Liam can rise to that challenge and deliver some outstanding results for us next year.”
