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Verstappen only getting better and more complete - Horner

Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner believes that despite recent frustrations, Max Verstappen's talent and experience are growing with each passing race.

The Dutch prodigy was hit with a huge disappointment in Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix when a battery issue put the 19-year-old out of a promising race after just ten laps.

Verstappen was understandably upset after his third DNF of the season, but Horner is dismissing the young charger's reaction in light of his continued progress as a driver.

Verstappen fears for the future at Red Bull

"It is character building but he will come through it strong," Horner said.

"His driving is getting better and better. You can see the performances in the last two or three races, he has really been making a lot of progress, and it is a shame he did not achieve the result he deserved today.

"His driving is getting stronger each month, he is becoming more and more complete, he is performing very well on Saturdays as well now.

"His performance in the race was fantastic, the start, the restart, the way he was hanging on to Hamilton and pulling away from Bottas in the early laps…"

Regardless of the set-back and Verstappen's frustrations, Horner says it's still early days and the season will likely offers opportunities to rejoice.

"He is intelligent. We have just been talking about the performance of the car, with the feedback from this weekend, feeding that into the system to develop the car.

"It is a long season. And it is one chapter on a long story. You can see the trajectory is going in the right direction.

"So for sure he will take disappointment out of the race but on reflection he will see a lot of positives that hopefully will bear fruit later in the season."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.