F1 team principals anoint Max Verstappen as the driver of the 2024 season

2024 drivers' champion Max Verstappen has been elected by the team principals as their top driver of the 2024 season. Based on a points system and each team boss ranking their top 10 drivers, the win went to the Dutchman.

The ten F1 team principals, Andrea Stella, Fred Vasseur, Christian Horner, Toto Wolff, Mike Krack, Oliver Oakes, Ayao Komatsu, Laurent Mekies, James Vowles, and Alessandro Alunni Bravi were all asked to submit their picks for the top ten drivers of the 2024 season (via Formula 1).

Each position was given points, starting with 25 points for P1, decreasing until it was 1 point for P10 - similair to how the top 10 drivers of every race recieve points. Once all the principals submitted their rankings, the points were tallied to create the the F1 team bosses' top 10 drivers of 2024 list.

Based on the rankings, for the first time in seven years, all the team bosses picked one driver at the top of each of their list: Max Verstappen. The #1 car driver also held this spot in last year's rankings.

The rest of the rankings followed the drivers' championship standings closely - Norris, Leclerc, Piastri, Sainz, Russell, & Hamilton all followed Verstappen in the rankings. But, the list deviated at P8, where votes from nine out of the ten team bosses led to Nico Hulkenberg getting the spot. After his 41-point finish in the championship, he was a new entry into this year's rankings from the principals. Closing out the list were Alonso and Gasly, the Frenchman also being a new entry into the list.

Max Verstappen, for whom this is the fourth consecutive year of winning the championship and this ranking, grabbed the top spot with the perfect score of 250 points. He finished the drivers' championship with 437 points, nine wins, and 560 laps led.

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Max Verstappen reflected on his 2024 season

Max Verstappen at the FIA Awards 2024 - Source: Getty

After a succesful season, Max Verstappen looked back on his and his team's performances over the last year. Speaking at the FIA awards ceremony earlier this month, Verstappen spoke about how the first half of the season went (via F1.com):

"We had a great start to the year, everything was looking great. I think especially from the outside, of course, as a team you always understand your limitations and what you want to work on."

He also added:

“We had a bit of a tough run in the middle of the season but even when we were under pressure, and having tough times, I think the team really stuck together. We didn’t panic, which could easily be done I think in those kinds of situations."

With the 2025 season kicking off in March, the drivers' champion also said:

“I tried my very best and we also know a lot what we have to work on for next year. I’m very excited about that as well because it does look like it’s going to be a proper fight between a lot of teams.”

Verstappen will be back on the grid next year with Red Bull Racing alongside his new teammate, Liam Lawson.