Horner claims Verstappen form unprecedented
Horner claims Verstappen form unprecedented
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has claimed no driver could repeat Max Verstappen's achievements this season.
The Dutchman secured his second successive F1 world championship in sublime fashion.
Despite retiring from two of the first three races, Verstappen won 15 of the 22, as well as two of the three sprint events, with his victories coming from an array of positions on the grid.
The final standings saw Verstappen finish 146 points ahead of runner-up Charles Leclerc, with Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez third.
Asked if the Mexican could challenge Verstappen next season, Horner replied: "I think Max is operating at a level that I am not sure anybody, the way he is driving at the moment, in the same equipment, would be able to repeat what he has done this year."
Horner details Perez tyre woes
Perez has long been hailed as F1's 'tyre whisperer' during the Pirelli era, yet when he needed to nurse his tyres at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, he was forced into a two-stop.
This allowed Leclerc to execute a one-stop strategy and finish ahead in the standings.
Pirelli introduced 18-inch tyres to coincide with F1's regulation changes this season and asked if this change went against Perez's ability to handle tyre degradation, Horner explained: "What we have seen this year is the margins are so fine.
"You can be a tick of front wing out or a tiny bit of ride height or a small amount of mechanical balance and it can have a dramatic effect on your tyre life.
"Checo has driven so many races where he has been fantastic on the tyres but [in Abu Dhabi] it was just the first stint that compromised him where the front right started to grain and grain quite heavily compared to Charles and Max.
"That then put him out of sync where we had to pit and that was on a very compromised one-stop, so the two-stop was the more attacking race."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 Results Today: Chinese Grand Prix practice times as SURPRISE driver tops charts
- 2 hours ago
Hamilton makes STUNNING claim on F1 future amid Ferrari contract uncertainty
- 36 minutes ago
F1 News Today: Red Bull and Verstappen dealt title blow as bizarre FIRE halts Chinese GP practice
- 1 hour ago
Chinese Grand Prix practice red flagged after BIZARRE fire
- 2 hours ago
F1 Chinese Grand Prix weather forecast - latest today from Shanghai
- 3 hours ago
Hamilton opens up on Wolff talks over Ferrari move as Verstappen SLAMS F1 decision - GPFans F1 Recap
- Today 00:27
Related news
F1 team announces 2026 title bid in BLOW to Red Bull
Wolff 'p*****' by Verstappen error as star makes Mercedes debut
Driver suggests Newey tempted by 'enticing' offer from F1 rivals
Red Bull boss Horner SHUTS DOWN F1 rival Wolff's title talk
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