'Phenomenal' Verstappen still growing in all areas - Horner

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Christian Horner believes Max Verstappen is only getting stronger with each passing race despite his already outstanding level of performance.

There's no doubt the 20-year-old Red Bull driver qualifies as the most impressive young driver in the history of Formula 1, with already two race wins and ten podiums under his belt to support that claim.

And it is precisely because he has accomplished so much at such an early age that Horner is convinced the prodigious Verstappen will only continue to improve.

“It’s quite astounding that he’s only just turned 20," Horner told Motorsport.com.

"Just look at the following he has in F1 now. He’s one of the most, if not the most popular driver in F1.

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"I think he’s growing in all areas. He has so little experience in car racing per se that every weekend he’s learning and getting stronger. There’s no shortcut to experience.

"He’s now close to completing his third grand prix season, and you look at the level he’s performing at, it’s phenomenal, and what’s exciting is what the future holds for him."

Horner is obviously hoping that future will include Red Bull Racing as he attempts to convince Verstappen to build the team around him for his long term success.

"I think he can see the strength and depth of the team," Horner said.

"He feels comfortable in the team. He’s the youngest grand prix winner, he’s the youngest double winner, he’s the youngest points scorer.

"And Lewis is pretty set at Mercedes, Seb has signed for three years at Ferrari. The obvious thing is to build a team around you. But it’s down to us to provide him with a competitive car."

"We all want to be in a competitive position, and I think that the way we’ve developed this chassis this year, we’ve put a serious amount of performance on the car, and we’ve out-developed our opposition from our starting point to being grand prix winners on merit.

"We need to keep that trajectory going."

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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.