Horner reveals 'unhuman' Verstappen secret
Horner reveals 'unhuman' Verstappen secret
Red Bull continued their dominant start to the 2024 season at the Chinese Grand Prix.
After a challenging Sprint qualifying session where he went off track twice and could only manage fourth, Max Verstappen stormed back to win the first Sprint race of the 2024 season.
READ MORE: Audi agree LONG-TERM F1 deal with star driver
The Saturday qualifying session saw him back in his usual dominant form, securing Red Bull's 100th pole position before translating it into a dominant victory in Sunday's race, which marked the Dutchman's 58th career win.
Sergio Perez, on the other hand, managed to finish third in the Sprint race behind Verstappen and Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton and replicated the result in the main race, finishing behind his team-mate and McLaren's Lando Norris.
This result has seen Verstappen extend his lead in the drivers' championship to 25 points over his team-mate, while Red Bull also enjoy a comfortable advantage in the constructors' championship with 44 points ahead of Ferrari.
READ MORE: F1 drivers' penalty points: Driver facing rare race ban after Chinese GP CHAOS
Horner on Verstappen's 'Unhuman' ability
Speaking to Sky Sports after the race, Red Bull boss Christian Horner praised Verstappen's performance during the Chinese GP weekend.
"He’s been on fantastic form all weekend," he said. "But the team has been fantastic as well to win the sprint, to get the pole position and the front row lockout, and the 1-3 in the race.
"I felt we were slightly unlucky with the safety car, but that’s the way it goes sometimes with Checo. Max is on another planet at the moment, his form is absolutely fantastic."
However, when asked about the secret behind Verstappen's consistent edge over his team-mates with the same car, Horner shed some light on the Dutchman's unique talents.
"It varies from circuit to circuit, but he’s totally at one with the machine. He has this unbelievable feel and empathy with the car, the grip, and the conditions, and confidence in himself.
"He has the ability to understand the tyres, what they need, when they need to be pushed, when they need to be saved, and he’s got this incredible racing brain as well.
"It’s almost unhuman [sic], what he’s capable of, but it’s a pleasure to work with and a pleasure to see. Effectively, he’s writing history."
Last season, Verstappen won a record-breaking 19 out of 22 races on his way to securing his third consecutive world championship.
The Dutchman finished the season with a record 21 podium finishes and an impressive 575 points, more than double the points of his closest rival and team-mate Perez. This feat had never been achieved before in the history of the sport.
READ MORE: Alonso and Taylor Swift rumours reignited by new album lyric
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Red Bull chief 'considering F1 future'
- 1 minute ago
Hamilton Miami FIA penalty verdict announced
- 57 minutes ago
'Very beautiful story' - F1 driver set for long-term backing from KEY supporter
- 1 hour ago
Ricciardo admits DOUBTING himself over media criticism
- 2 hours ago
F1 Qualifying Today: Miami Grand Prix 2024 start times, schedule and TV
- 3 hours ago
Verstappen makes HUGE Newey admission as F1 champion ponders Red Bull exit
- 3 hours ago
F1 Race Calendar 2024
-
GP BAHRAIN
29 Feb - 2 Mar
Max Verstappen
-
GP SAUDI ARABIA
7 - 9 Mar
Max Verstappen
-
GP AUSTRALIA
22 - 24 Mar
Carlos Sainz
-
GP JAPAN
5 - 7 Apr
Max Verstappen
-
GP CHINA
19 - 21 Apr
Max Verstappen
- GP USA 3 - 5 May
- GP ITALY 17 - 19 May
- GP MONACO 24 - 26 May
- GP CANADA 7 - 9 Jun
- GP SPAIN 21 - 23 Jun
- GP AUSTRIA 28 - 30 Jun
Related news
Ricciardo admits DOUBTING himself over media criticism
F1 Qualifying Today: Miami Grand Prix 2024 start times, schedule and TV
Verstappen makes HUGE Newey admission as F1 champion ponders Red Bull exit
F1 Sprint Race Today: Miami Grand Prix 2024 start times, schedule and TV
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860