Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has revealed that, even after nearly a decade of working together, Max Verstappen continues to astonish the team.
Verstappen, now a four-time Formula 1 world champion with 64 Grand Prix victories to his name, has long held a reputation for outperforming his teammates. Since Daniel Ricciardo’s departure in 2018, a succession of drivers – including Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Sergio Perez, and briefly Liam Lawson – have struggled to match the Dutchman’s pace. Most recently, even Yuki Tsunoda, touted for his aggression and raw speed, has not come close to Verstappen’s level.
This dominance is not just a testament to Verstappen’s raw talent but also to the unique way Red Bull tailors its cars. The team designs its machinery around Verstappen’s preference for sharp, front-end-heavy cars – a setup notoriously difficult for most drivers to handle. It’s an approach that has contributed to Verstappen’s “team-mate killer” reputation within the F1 paddock.
Still, Horner insists that Verstappen continues to raise the bar, particularly under pressure.
“Max has been operating at such a high level for a long time now – even going back to 2020 and 2021,” Horner told media, including RacingNews365. “He continues to surprise us with the levels he can hit.”
This season’s RB21, like last year’s RB20, has presented unique challenges – even by Red Bull’s elite standards. Despite that, Verstappen has consistently managed to maximize its potential, often pushing beyond what the car appears capable of on paper.
Horner points to Verstappen’s composure in high-stakes situations as one of his defining traits.
“His ability to wring every ounce of performance out of the car when you’re really back to the wall – on that last set of tyres in Q3-that’s the pressure point where the greats step up,” Horner said. “And that’s what we see time and time again. He’s just comfortable in that zone and delivers at an unbelievable level.”
Verstappen’s dominance has played a central role in Red Bull’s recent era of success. As the team navigates an evolving grid and increasingly competitive field, their confidence clearly remains rooted in the ever-reliable brilliance of their star driver.
