Max Verstappen "generation" backed for decade of competition

Verstappen, Horner, Abu Dhabi — Photo: © LAT Images

Red Bull

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Verstappen "generation" backed for decade of competition

Verstappen will face stiff opposition to retain his F1 crown

Sam Hall

Tuesday 1 February 2022 09:30

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes F1 is in "great shape" with Max Verstappen and a raft of "exciting young drivers" set to fight across the coming decade.

Verstappen scored the first world championship title of his F1 career after defeating Lewis Hamilton in a season-long battle.

Given that Verstappen will contest his eighth F1 campaign this year, it is easy to forget that the Dutchman is only 24 years old and part of the emerging generation of talent that includes George Russell and Lando Norris.

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Asking by Indian broadcaster WION which drivers could push Verstappen to "define the next generation", Horner said: “I think Formula 1 is in great shape at the moment because there are so many exciting young drivers.

"Max, of course, is only 24 and we’ve got a whole generation around him like Charles Leclerc, George Russell in the Mercedes this year.

“You have Lando Norris that looks exciting, Carlos Sainz, so you’ve got many drivers of a similar age that are going to be there for the next 10 years or so and I think that’s great for the sport, it’s great for the competition and it’s going to be exciting how it pans out.”

Verstappen progressed to the Red Bull team from Toro Rosso, now AlphaTauri, after just a year and four races, replacing Daniil Kvyat for the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, a race the Dutchman won.

Explaining what sets Verstappen apart from other drivers, Horner explained: “I think it’s his hunger, it’s his determination, it’s his natural ability.

"But the fact that he never gives up, he’s a fighter and he will never let go of any opportunity and I think that’s what marks him out as an exciting driver and as a great driver.

“You know if you’ve got Max behind you that he’s going to have a go and I think that is why he’s got such a good following in Formula 1 and that we see it continuing to grow.”