Dream driver pairings and smart leaders – Our writers build their ultimate F1 teams

With so many differences between every era of Formula 1, the debate over the greatest driver and best all-round team will likely continue to rage on. But who would our writers choose from across the sport’s rich history to be part of their ultimate outfit? We asked Lawrence Barretto, Chris Medland, Mark Hughes, David Tremayne and Mike Seymour to select two drivers and one Team Principal to form their dream line-up…

Lawrence Barretto (F1 Correspondent & Presenter)

Drivers: Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna

Team Principal: Frank Williams

In one seat, I'd definitely have Schumacher. The German was incredibly fast, ruthlessly committed and was skilled at building a team around him. He was also a details guy – I remember reading how his trainer would take trackside blood samples to measure aerobic rates while he was testing and then they would replicate those conditions in a gym to boost his fitness – and for me, that approach to his racing was a big part of his success.

I'd pair him up with Senna who, like Schumacher, is considered one of the greatest of all time. We never got to see them go properly head-to-head for a championship, but I'm pretty sure it would have been box office. Putting them inside the same team would definitely create fireworks, but Sir Frank was no-nonsense and would have had a good handle on the situation. Like Schumacher, Senna was immensely talented behind the wheel and calculated with his decision-making – and that is what made him so formidable.

My pick [for team boss] is Sir Frank Williams. He was an iconic Formula 1 Team Principal who was utterly consumed by the sport, so much so he even lived at the team's factory in Grove. He saw the team as an extension to his family while his relentless determination to win no matter the obstacle (of which there were many, including a severe disability after he broke his neck in a car crash), was inspiring.

Chris Medland (Special Contributor)

Drivers: Ayrton Senna and Mario Andretti

Team Principal: Niki Lauda

Surely [Senna] doesn't need much of an explanation? A driver revered by so many others – including a number on the current grid who never even saw him race – Senna's combination of incredible speed and overall aura has him straight into my team. You just know he's going to get everything out of the car he's given, and at times maybe more.

I make no apologies for being a huge Mario fan, due to the massively diverse range of machinery he would not only drive, but win in, across motorsport. He'd probably still be racing in F1 today if someone would give him a seat! Brilliantly quick in his own right, I also think his adaptability could sit nicely alongside Senna, and that each would command respect from the other.

If I'm the team owner, to manage a team featuring two top class drivers I'm going to need someone who is able to put a bit of fear into both of them. Team Principal Niki didn't have a great time of it at Jaguar, but proved he could play a role in building a championship-winning constructor with big personality drivers at Mercedes. Plus, if I'm only expecting the drivers would have respect for each other, I'm certain they would have plenty for Lauda as their boss.

Mark Hughes (Special Contributor)

Drivers: Gilles Villeneuve and Alain Prost

Team Principal: Colin Chapman

I'm going for Gilles Villeneuve because his super-natural gift and fighting spirit came with none of the emotion of the similarly-blessed Senna and so he could be paired more comfortably with Alain Prost, who was at the other end of the driving traits spectrum and had a good relationship with Gilles. That means they would be good enough to keep the poison and politics at bay. With this duo the team would have a massive bandwidth of driving skill and a nice equilibrium.

For the team boss I'm choosing Colin Chapman because, as well as being an inspirational boss, he was also a creative design genius so you'd be getting two for the price of one.

David Tremayne (Hall of Fame F1 Journalist)

Drivers: Kimi Antonelli and Carlos Sainz

Team Principal: Andrea Stella

How many of us actually do a 24/7 job? How many of us are prepared to sacrifice so many of the normal things we take for granted: family life, leisure time, all the ordinary things that keep us sane? Some of us manage to report 24 races in a season, maybe even scribble a few books too, but we need that time to decompress, to do the things normal humans do, and maybe even do some crazy projects of our own.

But becoming an F1 Team Principal? The man charged with overseeing everything, from design and technology; personnel selection and management; car build; driver selection and management; car operation; car development; team management; logistics…

You get the picture. He’s the first person I would hunt for. So who would I pick to lead my ultimate team? I think I have pretty good relationships with quite a lot of team bosses, and decent respect for their various talents. You don’t tend to get to F1 unless you have demonstrated the necessary skills. But my heart and my head tell me there is one man whom I would engage from the outset: Andrea Stella.

He eats, drinks and sleeps F1 and McLaren, and when he needs to be he is very hands-on. But he is also very clear thinking, extraordinarily honest within himself, a very, very good judge of people and character; an organiser; and a man who does not need to be in the spotlight and understands the arts of delegation, autonomy and empowerment.

He has played a tremendous role in re-organising McLaren’s technical department, able to see those who have the necessary talent, and then giving them the fundamental rein to get on with their delegated jobs. And when problems arise – those we see most publicly tend to involve the drivers and their strategies – he is very capable when it comes to tamping things down and maintaining control.

The other thing I really like about him is his modest character. Tell him that he’s just said something that makes the most sense of any leading-edge comment, as I did in 2024 or 2025, and he’s likely to say, “You think?”, like he was genuinely uncertain, surprised by the remark. Not all are so self-effacing.

I would take his advice on drivers very seriously, too. I’d look for a pair that could get on with one another, but who were not going to do the ‘after you, Claud,’ thing too often.

It goes without saying, they’d have to be fast, hungry and have demonstrated technical understanding, development-leading abilities and media-handling skills, plus have won Grands Prix. I wouldn’t want kowtows and I’d encourage them to speak their minds without over-stepping the rules of decorum or common sense. They’d need to feel completely comfortable and supported within the team, to get the best from each of them.

My primary choice would be Kimi Antonelli, for fairly obvious reasons. He has demonstrated superb skills in all conditions, learns fast, and is an open, engaging character. And he clearly has many years ahead of him.

Without Kimi, it would be Max Verstappen, again for obvious reasons. These are best summarised not just by what he demonstrated in superior Red Bulls in 2023 and 2024, but how he worked so tirelessly to pull that team back into contention in the final races of 2025 after the most extraordinary recovery in F1 history.

There was always a tendency in the 60s (and in hindsight) to believe that Jim Clark always had the best car, but some of his Lotuses weren’t all that different from their rivals, and I think the same thing pertains with Max at times. He can squeeze more out of a car than anyone else right now even when his machinery is inferior, and you’d be daft not to chase him.

Either of them would be fantastic for the reasons outlined, but I wouldn’t pair them. Two bulls in a field nearly always leads to trouble. So it would be one or the other.

Looking at who’s available right now – and, yes, I understand this is an ultimate proposition and therefore we should plump for anything we want – but I’d be inclined to sign Sainz as my second driver.

He was usually a bit quicker than Lando Norris at McLaren (though the World Champion has developed since), and he was matching Charles Leclerc at Ferrari by 2024. He’s fast, clever and lucid, personable, and fits in well, and deserves a competitive car. I felt sorry for him losing his Ferrari drive, much as I enjoyed Lewis Hamilton switching teams.

So they would be STAY GOLD Racing’s F1 picks, for what they’re worth.

Mike Seymour (Staff Writer)

Drivers: Ayrton Senna and Jenson Button

Team Principal: Ross Brawn

I’m pretty sure I won’t be alone in choosing Senna, but I simply can’t leave him out of my list. Growing up in the mid 1990s, I started following F1 after the Brazilian’s untimely passing, but was soon gripped by magazine articles and documentaries about him, which only grew stronger as the years went by.

Every single clip of the legendary racer in action appears to show him dancing on the edge of what was physically possible, with those skills complemented by his unique off-track charisma, and he remains a reference – and inspiration – for drivers today. It’s as close to a guarantee as possible that the car will be driven to the absolute limit every time it matters.

I ummed and ahhed over my second choice for quite some time. Do you go all in and pair Senna with someone like Michael Schumacher or Max Verstappen? After a bit more thought, I opted for Button. Admittedly, I was a huge fan of his back in the day – enthusiastically following the journey from Williams debutant to World Champion with Brawn GP, and the rollercoaster ride of emotions along the way. For me, he combines raw speed, intelligence, adaptability and race craft like few other drivers in F1 history, and has shown that he can work well alongside fellow World Champions in Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.

One person who played a key role in Button’s title win was, of course, Brawn. A talented engineer and team boss, Brawn enjoyed championship success with several outfits during his time in F1, from Benetton to Ferrari and then his own eponymous squad – not to mention laying the foundations for the Mercedes dominance that followed. He has proven multiple times that he can steer the ship, get the right people in the right places, galvanise different departments and manage A-list drivers. With Brawn, my line-up of Senna and Button would get the car and environment they need to succeed, whilst the team’s best interests would also be looked after.