Christian Horner has reflected on Max Verstappen ’s driving abilities and skill he claimed he’s “never seen before”. The 49-year-old has seen every aspect of the Dutchman’s F1 time at Red Bull from the inside.
In the aftermath of watching the 25-year-old capture second successive world title, Horner waxed lyrical over his driver as he also compared him to fellow world champion Sebastian Vettel. “Max – just a very natural, raw ability that has a hunger and determination like I've certainly never seen before,” he gushed in an interview with Red Bull.
"So, very different in so many ways, but very similar in their [Vettel and Verstappen] determination, in their desire to want to win, to want to be the best. Max, whatever he goes on to achieve in his career, has done so much in such a short space of time. At the age of just 25, it's quite frightening to think what actually lies ahead of him."
Horner is somewhat of a legend at Red Bull, having been at the helm since 2005 and is the only Team Principal Red Bull Racing has ever had. Despite being young and relatively inexperienced when he took the job 17 years ago, he has played an instrumental role in the success the team has managed to attain. It has been a tumultuous ride for the team, who enjoyed years of dominance with Sebatian Vettel, before having to watch Mercedes run away with the crown for almost a decade.
But after Verstappen's controversial maiden title victory over Lewis Hamilton in 2021, there was no doubt about his title win this year as Red Bull was by far the superior team in both the driver’s and constructor’s championship. Reflecting back on his tenure, Horner says it was clear to him what was needed, or more specifically who he needed: chief technical officer Adrian Newey to bring success the team's way.
"What was missing was a clear technical direction," Horner says. "Adrian was the very best that's ever been in Formula One, so it was a question of how could we entice, how could we attract Adrian to join the Red Bull team?" After a series of ‘chance encounters’ with the 63-year-old so he could state his case, Newey opted to join the team in 2006.
He brought with him a wealth of experience, as his early days at Leyton House in 1990 led to title-winning technical director roles at Williams and then McLaren. Newey reveals that it was 13-time Grand Prix winner and former Red Bull driver David Coulthard who played a pivotal role in convincing him to join.
He was able to explain to Newey that behind Red Bull's reputation as a 'party team', there was a serious, well-funded and determined group of racers desperate for success. "David's a good friend, somebody whose judgement I very much trusted, and David gave it a big thumbs-up," Newey recalls.
"(Red Bull Racing) was always having big discos … was this a team that would be taken seriously? But if you went beneath that veneer, then to me it looked like, yes, it had all had all the building blocks." Horner also reflected on Vettel’s career, after he bowed out of the sport at the end of the 2022 season.
Horner says a combination of skill and unsurpassed work ethic from Vettel, who won four championships with the team, make him one of F1's all-time greats. “As soon as Sebastian got that opportunity, it was clear that he was an outstanding talent," Horner added. "Sebastian worked incredibly hard. He was incredibly dedicated. He left no stone unturned. He was often the last guy in the engineering office at the end of a Friday or Saturday.”
