Horner and Marko hail Verstappen's 'unbelievable' success

The two men in charge at Red Bull - team principal Christian Horner and motorsport consultant Dr Helmut Marko - were full of praise for Max Verstappen after the driver secured his third world championship in a row.

He did so by finishing in second behind McLaren rookie Oscar Piastri. “It was a massive race,” Horner said afterwards. “The three safety cars killed our strategy a bit, but congratulations to Oscar on his first sprint race win."

This year Verstappen achieved a record breaking ten Grand Prix wins in a row from Miami to Italy, and has won all but three as a whole over the course of the season to date.

“I think from Miami - that was such a massive turning point for Max, that and then the run of domination, ten victories in a row - it’s been the most outstanding, unbelievable season,” Horner said.

"Max now joins that list of very illustrious drivers that now form an exclusive club [of three-time champions] and part of the history of the sport.

• Read also: Verstappen wins title, maiden F1 win for Piastri in Qatar

“To see him now join names in the history of the sport like Jack Brabham, like Niki Lauda, like Ayrton Senna, Nelson Piquet, Sir Jackie Stewart, there are some massive names.

Having just turned 26, Verstappen is the second-youngest three-time world champion behind his Red Bull predecessor. Sebastian Vettel and fifth on the all-time win list with 48 Grand Prix victories.

"With his age and what he’s done, and the period that he’s been involved, he’s up there with the very, very best,” Horner said. “He is achieving some phenomenal and exceptional results. As a team we are really proud of him.

"As a driver, Max has just continued to evolve, he’s continued to grow. And the level that he’s now operating at, in the way he’s able to read races, the way he’s able to manage tyres.

"The mental strength that he has in the high-pressure moments is absolutely outstanding," he added. “He doesn’t leave anything on the table, he wants it all. He is relentless in his pursuit of performance.

"He doesn’t just want to win, he wants to dominate. I think you see that in any great sportsman," he added. "The pursuit of excellence and pursuit of not just wanting to beat but totally dominate the opposition is a hallmark of what makes [Max] such an exceptional talent.”

Horner indicated that neither the driver nor the team planned to ease off in the remaining races of 2023. “There are still a lot more races to go this year, so we just want to keep this magic moment going..

"We’ll have a few non-alcoholic drinks tonight, because there’s a Grand Prix tomorrow, but it’s important to celebrate the moment.”

Dr Marko was also jubilant in the Red Bull garage as the party started at Lusail International Circuit. “Unbelievable! I've known Max for about ten years now, and it’s always a surprise. It keeps going on and on.

"We will have a small party at the hotel - but only for short time, because we want to win the race tomorrow.”

Dr Marko's only regret was not taking a sprint win today to make it the perfect celebration. "The safety car unfortunately ruined our strategy, otherwise we could have gone for a win, but we’re World Champions and that matters."

Red Bull secured the constructors championship last time out in Japan.

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