Max Verstappen shares which two drivers he would hire if he was a Formula 1 team boss

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Red Bull Racing star Max Verstappen has named the two drivers he would hire if he was a Formula 1 team principal.

Despite being just 26 years old, Max Verstappen is one of the more experienced drivers on the grid and has encountered plenty of highs and lows at Red Bull.

In an interview with Auto Motor und Sport, Verstappen was put in the hot seat and asked about leading the team rather than driving for it.

Although the grid might contain as many world champions as in previous generations, the standard seems to be getting better and better every year.

So much so, every team decided that their line-up from 2023 couldn’t be improved upon and all 20 drivers retained their seats for this year.

That’s also partly down to the dominance of Red Bull and Mercedes, with Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton unstoppable for years at a time.

Eventually, Verstappen will hang up his racing gloves and it wouldn’t be a surprise to lead a team of his own one day.

His nature would suit the role and there would be teams lining up to put the Dutchman in charge given his success.

Verstappen has now named the two drivers on the grid that he would want driving for him if he were to become a team principal.

While that’s likely to be a long way off, he’s already shared his plans for when he eventually leaves Formula 1.

Verstappen names drivers he would hire as team principal

Initially, Verstappen asked if he could choose himself and if that was the case, he said: “Can I choose myself? Then myself. And I would take Lando [Norris].

“He is still young, with a long career ahead of him. And he can also be very, very fast.

He was then asked: “And without yourself – who would be the second driver? An experienced pilot for the mix?”

Verstappen replied: “I would take Lando and Oscar [Piastri]. So, the McLaren pairing. Both are good.

“Lando is just a little older than Oscar. I think Oscar is a fast rookie. He still has things to learn, such as improving his racing pace.

“But from what I see, he’s a smart guy. He will win his races.”

It’s no surprise that Verstappen would take on his good friend Lando Norris and the young Brit has been considered in the past for a role at Red Bull.

Oscar Piastri is the next big thing in Formula 1 with Eddie Jordan admitting the Australian could have Verstappen looking over his shoulder one day.

Verstappen isn’t going to be a team principal in F1 for a long time, but it’s interesting to see what he thinks of his current drivers.

It’s hard to believe he’s part of the next generation of drivers coming through considering he already has three championships to his name.

The likes of Hamilton and Fernando Alonso can’t go on forever and then it really will be the age of Max Verstappen in Formula 1.