Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner says that Max Verstappen has been “outstanding” in 2024 on his way to a fourth World Championship – and has also been inspiration to the whole team.
Verstappen dominated the early races but as RBR stumbled and rivals McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes caught up the Dutchman had a much tougher time.
However he managed to maintain his lead and his recent win in Brazil opened the door for him to secure the title in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
Horner compared the achievement with Verstappen’s first success, achieved at the Abu Dhabi finale three years ago.
“I think this was, together with 2021, the toughest,” he said. “This one, we started the season very strongly. But by Miami, it was clear that McLaren had made a significant step.
“But Max, when you look back at the season as a whole, and you think back to the races, he won in Imola and Barcelona and Montreal that were all very tough, closely-fought races.
“Through the summer months when we were struggling a bit with a car he was still second in Silverstone, he was second in Zandvoort. He was still picking up big podiums and results.
“And behind the scenes, was putting a massive amount of effort in with the engineers and designers and on the simulator, more than any of the previous years.
“And I think he’s been outstanding this year, not only what he’s done in the cockpit, and I think he’s inspired within the cockpit, but out of the cockpit as well, the way he’s conducted himself, the way he’s worked with the engineers and all the technical staff has been phenomenal.”
Horner agreed with Verstappen’s suggestion that for 70% of the season RBR did not have the fastest car.
“I would say it was about right,” he said. “Since Miami, I would say that was a turning point. And the car was difficult to drive.
“It was very difficult to drive, but he was able to adapt and get the most out of it. I think we’ve improved it in latter races, but certainly around Monza time, it looked like the championship was slipping away.”
The team hit at low at the Italian GP in September, where the RB20 was uncompetitive, and Verstappen suggested that he wouldn’t win if that form was continued.
“Monza, there’s still a long way the championship to go,” said Horner. “And we had a significant disadvantage to McLaren, Ferrari and even the Mercedes at that point.
“And I think the engineers have worked tirelessly, and the men and women behind the scenes have worked long hours, early mornings, weekends to keep getting performance to the car.
“And for me, a real turning point was Austin, getting the sprint race victory there, getting on the front row for the Grand Prix, the podium that he scored there.
“And then of course Brazil was really the crowning moment. In many respects, it was such an outstanding drive that provided the match point here, and he converted it relatively straightforwardly.”
Horner admitted that this success means a lot given that it was achieved during what was a difficult season for the team.
“I think this one is a very special victory, because obviously, there have been challenges this year,” he said. “But I think that Max has scored more than double the amount of race wins than any other driver.
“He’s won it with two races to go. He’s been head and shoulders, the best driver on the grid in F1. And I think what he’s really done this year is absolutely cement his position amongst the greats in the sport. And I think that both statistically and on the way that he’s driven, that’s unquestionable now.
“He’s been inspirational from within the cockpit because weekend-in, weekend-out, he’s been delivering, and he’s driven brilliantly this year, and that obviously inspires the rest of the team.
“You only have to watch the out lap at the beginning of any Grand Prix weekend to see the level of confidence, the level of self-belief that he has in himself.
“And I think he’s driven with real maturity this year, because we haven’t had the fastest car at every race, and on the days that we haven’t had the fastest car, he’s made sure that he’s extracted the absolute best out of it and scored big points.”
