Max Verstappen has won a new accolade by becoming the first driver ever to have unanimously been voted as the best driver of the year by all F1 team bosses.
The F1 team bosses were asked to rank their top drivers, with points awarded as they would be in a Grand Prix from 25 down to one for first through 10th.
Once all 10 team bosses handed in their rankings, the scores were combined to create a final points table to determine the top-10 drivers of the year.
F1 team principals unanimously voted for Verstappen as 2024’s top driver, receiving the full maximum of points in the polls.
That result is unsurprising given the Dutchman took his fourth consecutive title this season, albeit with an RB20 machine that struggled against the likes of McLaren, Ferrari and sometimes even Mercedes throughout the 2024 campaign.
Alas, Verstappen capitalised on a pace advantage at the start of the season to take seven wins from the first 10 races and an astonishing six straight pole positions.
As Red Bull’s pace faded, Verstappen was able to execute damage limitation, along with stunning drives in Sao Paulo and Qatar to ensure he became just the sixth driver to win at least four titles.
The Red Bull ace joined Juan Manuel Fangio, Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton in the history books.
Remarkably, Verstappen hasn’t left the top two spots in the team boss rankings since his debut in F1, the only exception being his rookie season in Toro Rosso, ranking fourth.
| Pos | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Verstappen | 250 points |
| 2 | Norris | 178 points |
| 3 | Leclerc | 121 points |
| 4 | Piastri | 113 points |
| 5 | Sainz | 110 points |
| 6 | Russell | 86 points |
| 7 | Hamilton | 54 points |
| 8 | Hulkenberg | 39 points |
| 9 | Alonso | 27 points |
| 10 | Gasly | 21 points |
F1 team boss rankings reflect championship standings
Much like the drivers’ standings, Verstappen edged McLaren’s Lando Norris to win the driver of the year title.
Norris fell short of Verstappen by 72 points, climbing one spot from his P3 finish in the polls based on his 2023 performances.
The young Briton aided McLaren in winning its first constructors’ title in 26 years, almost taking the Drivers’ title fight down to the wire.
The two title rivals finished ahead of Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc who climbed a spot in the rankings, beating both Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz.
His future teammate Lewis Hamilton dropped two places in the rankings from last year, falling to seventh behind George Russell.
The team principals who took part in the vote were Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Christian Horner, Ayao Komatsu, Mike Krack, Laurent Mekies, Oliver Oakes, Andrea Stella, Fred Vasseur, James Vowles, and Toto Wolff.
Beyond the usual suspects, noteworthy inclusions in the top-10 driver rankings were Nico Hulkenberg after an impressive campaign with Haas.
Behind the German, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly rounded out the top-10 performers in the eyes of the team bosses.
READ MORE – Max Verstappen: F1 drivers not willing to ‘cross the line’ don’t have ‘champion mentality’
