Max Verstappen on the Ferrari duo Hamilton/Leclerc: “I’d never do it that way”

I’ve said it time and again, and I stand by it: the Ferrari stars Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc will get in each other’s way once more, just as they did after the start in Mexico. They may sit down together after every skirmish to sort things out and look ahead – but it’s all just fine words, until the next conflict.

The next mess is inevitable because both of these exceptional drivers want to be in the lead, at any cost. Or as Hamilton put it: “With Leclerc, I sometimes get the feeling he thinks – if I can’t win, then neither can anyone from Ferrari.”

At the moment, the battle between the Briton and the Monegasque is for podium places; in Mexico, for once, it’s about victory. But just wait until the two of them are regularly battling for wins – and therefore for the World Championship title. That’s when the drama will really kick off.

Max Verstappen was asked how he would actually act if he were team principal. The Dutchman had an interesting answer.

“Many people won’t agree with me on this, but if I were team principal, I’d never have two number one drivers, because then exactly the sort of thing that happened in Mexico between Hamilton and Leclerc at Ferrari would happen.”

“Neither of them gives way to the other because they both think they want to win. I can understand that, because that’s how I am myself.”

“That’s why, in my imaginary team, I’d make sure there was a clearly defined number one and number two. If the pecking order were clear, they’d have gone through the first corner in first and second place and would have finished the race in that order too.”