Horner: Verstappen has 'cemented' position among F1 greats

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner believes that Max Verstappen’s fourth F1 world championship has “absolutely cemented” the Dutchman’s position among the sport’s greats.

Verstappen’s fifth-place finish at the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday evening was enough to clinch the 2024 title, with his only rival, McLaren’s Lando Norris, finishing sixth.

Reflecting on his driver’s achievement, which puts Verstappen among those great champions – Sebastian Vettel, Alain Prost, Juan Manuel Fangio, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton – who have won four or more world crowns, Horner highlighted the challenges faced by Red Bull and its star driver this season, including a 10-race winless streak between Spain and Brazil.

"I think this one is a very special victory because obviously there have been challenges this year," Horner told the media after Saturday night’s race. “But I think that Max scored more than double the amount of race wins than any other driver.”

The 2024 season began strongly for Verstappen, but a midseason resurgence from McLaren, led by Lando Norris, as well as strong showings from Ferrari and Mercedes, tightened the championship battle.

• Read also: Verstappen ‘proud and relieved’ to secure 2024 F1 title

Despite this, Verstappen’s relentless consistency and brilliance kept him in control.

"He’s won it with two races to go,” added Horner. “He’s been head and shoulders the best driver on the grid in Formula 1, and I think what he’s really done this year is absolutely cement his position amongst the greats in the sport.

“And I think that both statistically and on the way that he’s driven, that’s unquestionable.”

Horner drew comparisons between this season and Verstappen’s first championship in 2021, when he narrowly defeated Lewis Hamilton in a controversial finale.

While the 2022 and 2023 campaigns saw Verstappen dominate with a near-flawless Red Bull car, 2024 posed a different kind of test.

"I think this was, together with 2021, the toughest," Horner insisted. “This one, we started the season very strongly. But by Miami, it was clear that McLaren had made a significant step.”

Horner singled out his driver’s key performances in tightly contested races, including victories in Imola, Barcelona, and Montreal, as well as strong podium finishes during the summer when Red Bull’s car began to struggle.

"Through the summer months, when we were struggling a bit with the car, he was still second in Silverstone, second in Zandvoort," Horner noted.

“He was still picking up big podiums and results and behind the scenes, was putting a massive amount of effort in, with the engineers and designers and on the simulator, more than any of the previous years.”

The Red Bull chief was effusive in his praise of Verstappen’s contributions both on the track and behind the scenes.

"I think he’s been outstanding this year. Not only what he’s done in the cockpit, and I think he’s inspired within the cockpit, but out of the cockpit as well," he said.

“The way he’s conducted himself, the way he’s worked with the engineers, and all the technical staff, has been phenomenal.”

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and X