Red Bull’s Christian Horner believes Max Verstappen has yet to reach his potential performance peak in F1.
Makku Verstappen may already boast an impressive record of 28 wins and 70 podiums in total from 154 race starts, but the 2021 F1 World Champion is still “evolving”. Christian Horner believes there is.
Max Verstappen is 80 points ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in the 2022 drivers’ championship. Verstappen has had a near-perfect run all season, aside from some minor and rare mistakes like going off the track in Spain and spinning in Hungary.
Red Bull Racing F1 team principal Christian Horner believes it speaks to Max Verstappen’s maturity, and the removal of the pressure to win the title means he can handle even more intense pressure. I think it will be
“I think winning the title freed him up in a lot of ways,” Christian Horner told GPFans.
“The expectation of having to win his first world champion – he has achieved it. He has it engraved on his resume now. Anything added to that is a bonus for him.”
“He’s more mature, more experienced and, at 24, he’s handling the pressures incredibly well. Overall I think he continues to evolve.”
Given that the 2023 F1 regulations are set to be evolutionary rather than revolutionary, the strength of the current Red Bull Racing package is unlikely to drop anytime soon. Therefore, Christian Horner believes Max Verstappen will win more titles as long as the team continues to do the necessary work.
“Max can win a lot of championships,” said Horner.
“It’s our responsibility to give him the equipment to do that. He’s done a great job this year.”
“Ferrari are tough competitors. They also have two fast drivers. Mercedes are in good shape and likely to be back in the game later this year.”
“Nothing we take for granted. We have to keep the momentum going.”
Christian Horner’s statement ties in with what Max Verstappen himself said about the 2022 season. After dealing with a lot of stress and pressure in 2021, Max Verstappen has given an in-depth interview to his sponsor CarNext and promises to enjoy racing more.
“Everything from now on is just a bonus and I’m going to enjoy it,” Verstappen said in January.
“I’ve always wanted to win one championship, so we’ll see where it goes from there.”
“Everything from now on is Bodus, but if you lose the race… you’ll still be upset, but in a few minutes you’ll be saying ‘okay’.”
Category: F1 / red bull / Max Verstappen