Christian Horner: “Max Verstappen is among the greatest of all time. He’s a terrier who bites at your ankles”. Christian Horner feels that in 2024, Max Verstappen showcased his full repertoire to win the F1 title.

Max Verstappen, Master of the Present
With four consecutive world titles, Max Verstappen has established himself as the reigning king of modern Formula 1. It’s not just the number of titles that grants him his crown, but also the way he has secured them: the Dutchman has won in every manner possible—dominating with the best car (the second half of 2022, 2023), battling on more or less equal footing (2021), and even with an overall inferior machine, as in 2024.

He is a driver who doesn’t simply rely on the strength of his car but steps up when needed to overturn the balance of power. Lando Norris knows this all too well. Despite having the upper hand at times, Norris succumbed to the relentless resistance of the Dutch phenomenon, who almost always extracts the maximum from his car and knows how to unsettle his rivals—taking points from them when necessary, even through controversial moves (such as in Mexico).

Christian Horner’s comments
Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner believes that 2024 saw Verstappen deploy his entire skill set, combining flawless drives with races where he had to “get his hands dirty”: “Max is a tough driver, he knows the rules and races hard. All the greats, whether it’s Senna, Schumacher, or Hamilton, have faced this kind of scrutiny during their careers,” he said in an interview with talkSPORT. “Max will never give up: he’s like a terrier on your ankle, never letting go, and if you want to get past him, you’ll have to work incredibly hard.”

“I think he’s now joined the group of the greatest. I truly believe he’s one of the all-time greats: he’s surpassed what Ayrton Senna achieved, and there are very few who have won more—like Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, and Juan Manuel Fangio,” Christian Horner continued. “He’s an incredible talent and is still improving. I think this year was his best yet because we didn’t have the strongest car, but he delivered incredibly consistent results. Suddenly, the developments we made to the car didn’t give us the performance we expected, and Max had to go above and beyond to stay in control of the championship.” – the Red Bull team boss concluded.