Christian Horner has commended Max Verstappen’s desire to improve during a difficult period for Red Bull.
Unlike 2023, the Austrian team have faced fierce competition so far this year. Despite claiming a respectable seven grand prix victories thus far, Red Bull have failed to win since their Spanish Grand Prix triumph in June. As a result, they have seen their gap at the top of the World Constructors’ Championship Standings diminish, with Horner praises Verstappen’s ‘great maturity’ amidst difficult patch
Red Bull face a challenging test to retain their championship crown
Christian Horner has commended Max Verstappen’s desire to improve during a difficult period for Red Bull.
Unlike 2023, the Austrian team have faced fierce competition so far this year. Despite claiming a respectable seven grand prix victories thus far, Red Bull have failed to win since their Spanish Grand Prix triumph in June. As a result, they have seen their gap at the top of the World Constructors’ Championship Standings diminish, with both McLaren and Ferrari now hot on their tail.
Race to the chequered flag
Whilst they have not been anywhere near their best in recent races, Red Bull still hold the advantage in both championships. The Milton Keynes-outfit currently have an eight point lead over second place McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship, whilst Verstappen sits a convincing 62 points ahead of Lando Norris atop the Drivers’ Championship.
However, if Red Bull fail to rectify their nightmarish form anytime soon, it is widely expected that those advantages will be toppled, especially in the Constructors’ fight. It could be argued that this is largely down to the form of Sergio Perez. The Mexican driver has endured a hellish season up to this point and, after finishing as runner-up in 2023, currently sits seventh in the Drivers’ Championship Standings.
Verstappen on the other hand has given a good account of himself despite the team’s underperformance. Whilst the Dutchman has not tasted victory for over two months, he has continued to pick up an honourable number of points. Since the Spanish Grand Prix, the 26-year-old has experienced his worst run of the season, whilst Norris has arguably been the strongest driver on the grid. However, during this time the McLaren driver has reduced his deficit to Verstappen in the Drivers’ Championship Standings by only seven points. The Dutchman may not be at his devastating best, but as things stand he looks appropriately on course to secure his fourth successive championship title.
Trust the process
Everyone knows that having the best car dramatically increases a driver’s chances of claiming race wins. For the best part of three years, this is what Verstappen has reaped the rewards of at Red Bull. However, he has arguably impressed even more since the Austrian team’s struggles begun. After the Italian Grand Prix, Horner publicly applauded Verstappen’s commitment to turning the team’s recent form around.
“What’s really impressed me with Max is how he’s really engaged in this process”, the Red Bull Team Principal told Formula 1 media.
“He’s not panicking, he’s working with the engineers, he’s explaining very clearly where the issues are, he’s putting the time and effort in.
He then went on to praise the Dutchman’s attitude during this time:
“I think he’s shown great maturity as a world champion, the way he’s working with the engineering group.
“Nobody likes the situation we’re in at the moment, nobody’s happy with it and we’ve got to work really hard to turn it around. But the one thing this team has is strength and depth in talent, and we’ll come back.”
However, Horner also admitted that the team face a demanding fight to retain both championships:
“Based on today’s performance, you’d say both [championships] are under absolute pressure.
“We were the fourth fastest car today and that’s the reality. We’ve got to turn it around, if we want to make sure we win both titles we’ve got to put performance on the car.”
The first opportunity for Red Bull to return to winning ways is at next weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix. They have been victorious at the Baku City Circuit in each of the previous three seasons. both McLaren and Ferrari now hot on their tail.
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