Horner predicts 'quite a few racing years ahead' for Verstappen

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Anyone hoping that Max verstappen's recent frustrations over changes to the sprint race weekend format might see him make an early exit from F1 should think again, according to Red Bull boss Christian Horner.

Despite being at the top of his game at the moment, the two-=time world champion has expressed unhappiness with recent developments in the sport, accusing it of "changing its DNA" as it seeks to expand the 'showbusiness' side.

But Horner is unconcerned by the idea that his star driver will decide to abruptly quit the sport in the way that Nico Rosberg did in 2016 just days after winning the championship with Mercedes.

Read also: Jordan says Verstappen set to become 'the greatest of all time'

"I think Max is the kind of guy that one day will just decide in his mind what he wants to do," Horner acknowledged in a recent exclusive interview with F1 website RacingNews365.com.

However Horner didn't see that happening any time soon: "He's 25, he's motivated, he's hungry to achieve a lot more. I do still think he's got quite a few racing years ahead."

As far as Horner is concerned, the Dutch driver is just getting started - and could follow the likes of Fernando Alonso by driving well into his 40s, giving him plenty of time to break and set championship records.

"He's still evolving, still getting better as he gets experience, and he's just become more more polished," Horner said, pointing to the new record of 15 race wins in a single season in 2022.

And as far as Horner is concerned, Verstappen is just getting started and hasn't even reached his peak performance yet - a prediction that will chill the hearts of his rivals on the F1 grid.

"That inner drive, hunger, skill and everything that we've seen from day one is still very much there. He's just a much more polished article now," he added. "He's currently the best driver, and has been for the last three or four years."

To date, Verstappen has started 168 Grand Prix races and claimed 38 wins, 82 podium places, 22 poles and 23 fastest laps.

Five races into the current season he leads by 119 points from his team mate Sergio Perez on 105 points, with Alonso in third place in the standings on 75 points - emphasising the current dominance of Red Bull.

Alonso hold the record for the number of GP starts with 360 races in the books, and at 41 he is the oldest driver on the grid compared to the sprightly Hamilton a mere spring chicken at 38.

But while Hamilton is currently tied with Michael Schumacher for the most number of F1 crowns, another decade of Verstappen at the pinnacle of F1 could mean even that record will get rewritten before verstappen hangs up his helmet.

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.