Verstappen tops F1 team bosses' poll for first time
Max Verstappen has topped the annual Formula 1 team principals’ top 10 drivers ranking – knocking Lewis Hamilton off the top spot.

The two drivers have dominated the rankings over recent years, finishing as the top two every year since 2016. But this is the first time that Verstappen has emerged ahead.
In what has become a long-standing tradition created by Autosport, each of the F1 team bosses were asked to pick their top 10 drivers of the year. The individual results are kept secret – so the team principals can answer honestly – and the tally totted up using F1’s point structure that runs from 25 points for first down to 1 point for 10th.
For the first time since he entered F1 in 2015, world champion Verstappen came out on top – earning 188 points compared to Hamilton’s 174.
The polling result comes at the end of a campaign where his team boss Christian Horner said the Dutchman had acted as tremendous inspiration for everyone at Red Bull.
Reflecting on the season, and Verstappen’s progress, Horner said: “I think we've just given him a better car and he's made great use of it.
“He's finished every race either first or second bar one where he had half his car missing in Budapest. And the statistics talk for themselves: the amount of laps that he's led, the pole positions, the race victories. He's been outstanding, and, so few mistakes under massive pressure.
“I think what you forget is the amount of pressure that there's been building and building through the championship. And the way, as a young man, that he's dealt with and coped with that has been inspirational.”
Lando Norris moved up to third overall off the back of a hugely impressive season with McLaren, which included him taking his maiden pole position at the Russian Grand Prix. He was the highest climber in the top 10, along with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, both gaining four spots on their 2020 positions, while the returning Fernando Alonso was fifth.
Despite their wins in the Azerbaijan and Italian GPs respectively, Sergio Perez (fifth in 2020) and Daniel Ricciardo (fourth) have fallen outside the top 10.
The nine team principals who took part were Toto Wolff (Mercedes), Christian Horner (Red Bull), Andreas Seidl (McLaren), Laurent Rossi (Alpine), Otmar Szafnauer (Aston Martin), Fred Vasseur (Alfa Romeo), Franz Tost (AlphaTauri), Jost Capito (Williams) and Gunther Steiner (Haas). The only team that did not take part was Ferrari.
F1 teams principals' Top 10 drivers of 2021:
Position | Driver | Points | Previous year |
1 | Max Verstappen | 188 | Up 1 |
2 | Lewis Hamilton | 174 | Down 1 |
3 | Lando Norris | 100 | Up 4 |
4 | Carlos Sainz | 70 | Up 4 |
5 | Fernando Alonso | 63 | Re-entry |
6 | Charles Leclerc | 58 | Down 3 |
7 | Pierre Gasly | 56 | Up 3 |
8 | George Russell | 44 | Down 2 |
9 | Valtteri Bottas | 43 | No change |
10 | Esteban Ocon | 41 | Re-entry |
Past two seasons
2020
1 Hamilton
2 Verstappen
3 Leclerc
4 Ricciardo
5 Perez
6 Russell
7 Norris
8 Sainz
9 Bottas
10 Gasly
2019
1 Hamilton
2 Verstappen
3 Leclerc
4 Bottas
5 Vettel
6 Albon
7 Sainz
8 Ricciardo
9 Russell
10 Norris
Related video

Sulayem eyes changes to stop Abu Dhabi F1 controversy repeat
Binotto will discuss Ferrari F1 future with Sainz over winter

Latest news
Kvyat and Bortolotti join Prema's expanded WEC line-up for 2023
Ex-Formula 1 driver Daniil Kvyat and factory Lamborghini racer Mirko Bortolotti have been named as part of Prema’s two-car line-up for the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship season.
How Driver’s Eye camera became a Formula 1 TV gamechanger
Formula 1 broadcasting has undergone many major advancements in the past decade in a push to better inform fans and enrich their viewing experience.
Hazelwood reflects on maiden Gen3 test
Todd Hazelwood has walked away from a highly-scrutinised first team Gen3 test excited by the latest generation of Supercars hardware.
What’s going on with Nissan and Kiyoto Fujinami?
Nissan may have made no changes to its GT500 driver roster for the 2023 SUPER GT season, but still caused a surprise by making no mention of two-time GT300 champion Kiyoto Fujinami in its recent announcement.
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
Who were the fastest drivers in F1 2022?
Who was the fastest driver in 2022? Everyone has an opinion, but what does the stopwatch say? Obviously, differing car performance has an effect on ultimate laptime – but it’s the relative speed of each car/driver package that’s fascinating and enlightening says ALEX KALINAUCKAS
Nico Hulkenberg: Why F1's nearly man is refreshed and ready for his return
He has more starts without a podium than anyone else in Formula 1 world championship history, but Nico Hulkenberg is back for one more shot with Haas. After spending three years on the sidelines, the revitalised German is aiming to prove to his new team what the F1 grid has been missing.
Why Vasseur relishes 'feeling the pressure' as Ferrari's F1 boss
OPINION: Fred Vasseur has spent only a few weeks as team principal for the Ferrari Formula 1 team, but is already intent on taking the Scuderia back to the very top. And despite it being arguably the most demanding job in motorsport, the Frenchman is relishing the challenge
The crucial tech changes F1 teams must adapt to in 2023
Changes to the regulations for season two of Formula 1's ground-effects era aim to smooth out last year’s troubles and shut down loopholes. But what areas have been targeted, and what impact will this have?
Are these the 50 quickest drivers in F1 history?
Who are the quickest drivers in Formula 1 history? Luke Smith asked a jury of experienced and international panel of experts and F1 insiders. Some of them have worked closely with F1’s fastest-ever drivers – so who better to vote on our all-time top 50? We’re talking all-out speed here rather than size of trophy cabinet, so the results may surprise you…
One easy way the FIA could instantly improve F1
OPINION: During what is traditionally a very quiet time of year in the Formula 1 news cycle, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been generating headlines. He’s been commenting on massive topics in a championship that loves them, but also addressing necessary smaller changes too. Here we suggest a further refinement that would be a big boon to fans
How can McLaren keep hold of Norris?
Lando Norris is no longer the young cheeky-chappy at McLaren; he’s now the established ace. And F1's big guns will come calling if the team can’t give him a competitive car. Here's what the team needs to do to retain its prize asset
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.