F1 News: Christian Horner reveals 'unhuman' Verstappen secret

sergio perez, adrian newey, helmut marko, max verstappen, christian horner — Photo: © IMAGO

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Horner reveals 'unhuman' Verstappen secret

Red Bull boss Christian Horner reveals secrets to Max Verstappen's consistent edge over his team-mates in the same car

Yara Elshebiny

Wednesday 24 April 2024 19:58 Updated: 12:51

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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.

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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.

Max Verstappen claimed his 58th race win in China

Red Bull are in quest to win a third consecutive constructors' title

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.

Red Bull Max Verstappen Chinese Grand Prix