Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have dominated this ranking over recent years, finishing as the top two every year since 2016, but 2021 amrks the first time that the Dutchman has emerged ahead of his rival.
In what has become a long-standing tradition created by Autosport, each of the Formula 1 team bosses were asked to pick their top 10 drivers of the year. The individual results are kept secret – so the team principals can answer honestly – and the tally totted up using Formula 1’s point structure that runs from 25 points for first down to 1 point for 10th.
For the first time since he entered F1 in 2015, world champion Max Verstappen came out on top – earning 188 points compared to Hamilton’s 174. Scuderia Ferrari Spanish driver Carlos Sainz was rewarded with a fourth place in this interesting ranking, which confirms the positive first season alongside the Maranello team. Charles Leclerc was sixth, down three places as compared to 2020, when he was placed just behind Hamilton and Verstappen.
The nine team principals who took part in this vote were Toto Wolff (Mercedes), Christian Horner (Red Bull), Andreas Seidl (McLaren), Laurent Rossi (Alpine), Otmar Szafnauer (Aston Martin), Fred Vasseur (Alfa Romeo), Franz Tost (AlphaTauri), Jost Capito (Williams) and Gunther Steiner (Haas). The only team that did not take part was Ferrari.
F1 teams principals’ Top 10 drivers of 2021:
| Position | Driver | Points | Previous year |
| 1 | Max Verstappen | 188 | Up 1 |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | 174 | Down 1 |
| 3 | Lando Norris | 100 | Up 4 |
| 4 | Carlos Sainz | 70 | Up 4 |
| 5 | Fernando Alonso | 63 | Re-entry |
| 6 | Charles Leclerc | 58 | Down 3 |
| 7 | Pierre Gasly | 56 | Up 3 |
| 8 | George Russell | 44 | Down 2 |
| 9 | Valtteri Bottas | 43 | No change |
| 10 | Esteban Ocon | 41 | Re-entry |
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