The Dutchman sees his standing as the team's lead driver and sole relevant challenger for the top prizes as the best position to be in.

“When you're on your own, you can go on the attack, you can be much more aggressive. I always prefer that,” the Dutch driver told Viaplay.

Verstappen then noted that having two horses in the title race ultimately ended up hurting McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, benefitting his own title bid, which was frustrated by a mere two-point deficit.

“Because McLaren had two drivers, they gave away some things with their strategy. So, of course, we benefited from that too,” Verstappen added.

"If I were a team boss, I would always put a clear number one and two in place. Of course, a number two who still scores enough points to compete for the constructors' title. But a clear number one and two," Verstappen concluded.

Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli spoke about his close relationship with Max Verstappen, calling the four-time champion an extraordinary driver and a mentor to rookies. Read the Italian Mercedes driver's full statements here.

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