Max Verstappen would AXE one of McLaren drivers if he was team boss

Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen would AXE one of McLaren drivers if he was team boss

Verstappen delivered his take on McLaren's driver lineup

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Thursday 13 November 2025 20:28

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Max Verstappen has revealed what he would do if he was F1 team principal at McLaren concerning Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris’ title duel.

The four-time world champion enjoyed a brief resurgence in the F1 title fight after securing a victory at the Italian, Azerbaijan and US Grands Prix, but a miserable campaign in Brazil has put an end to his chances of a fifth drivers’ title.

While Verstappen put on a spectacular display to fight from the pit lane to third at Interlagos, he is now 49 points behind championship leader Norris who lords it over team-mate Oscar Piastri at the top of the standings.

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With just three rounds remaining of the 2025 championship, Norris looks the favourite to take a maiden championship, with McLaren's mantra to 'let them race' looking entirely justified.

Papaya rules don’t wash with Verstappen

Speaking on the Pelas Pistas podcast, Verstappen offered his perspective on the two strong drivers at McLaren and suggested that if he was team principal he wouldn’t take the risk the team did this season.

“When you have the two best drivers in a team, they’re always going to get in each other’s way,” Verstappen said.

“And, in the end, even if the team is dominant, it will end up splitting up and having problems. If I were a team principal, I would never take that risk.

“Moreover, it’s an even more untenable situation when you’re fighting for the championship. And I think we’re going to see that very soon in F1, given the current scenario.”

For two drivers fighting it out for the championship, Piastri and Norris have had very few collisions, with the pair coming together at the Canadian GP where the Brit instantly held himself accountable for the collision.

An aggressive move from Norris on Piastri at the Singapore GP also drew the ire of his Aussie team-mate, but did not warrant a punishment from the stewards; and it seems being allowed to race has not impacted their championship chances with both drivers leading one-two in the standings.

READ MORE: Norris booed AGAIN at Brazilian GP

F1 Max Verstappen McLaren