Horner compares Verstappen to legendary F1 champion

Christian Horner has compared Max Verstappen's time at Red Bull to that of Sebastian Vettel, in which the German won four consecutive drivers' world championships.

Vettel's time at the top was also characterised by his domination of team-mate Mark Webber, who never finished higher than third in the championship during the German's four-year winning run.

Verstappen has similarly dominated Sergio Perez in his run of three consecutive championships, winning 44 races in that span while the Mexican has stood atop the podium just five times.

The chasm between the pair on the track has created a lot of pressure on Perez's seat, with Horner and Helmut Marko forced to deny several times that they might end his contract prematurely.

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“I very much enjoyed Sebastian’s winning years,” Horner told Planet F1. “I mean, Mark got a bit grumpy on occasions. But what Sebastian achieved was outstanding.

“I think that Max, in the same way, has been totally dominant. What he’s achieved has been exemplary.”

Horner did admit that Perez's job partnering the reigning world champion is one of the toughest in the sport, saying: “It’s a tough gig being Max’s team-mate. We’ve just got to work harder. Because we need him firing on all cylinders at 24 races next year because the competition will move closer.

“So we need both drivers as tightly bunched as we can in order to ensure that we do our utmost to defend both titles.”

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