Horner praises Verstappen for handling the current difficulties

After the tough Italian Grand Prix, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has praised three-time world champion Max Verstappen for the way he handles the current situation at the Milton Keynes-based outfit.

Max Verstappen started the 2024 F1 season in dominant fashion, winning four of the first five rounds which allowed him to build up a seemingly unbeatable advantage in the drivers’ standings. However, with McLaren having achieved eye-catching improvements after introducing the Miami upgrade package, Red Bull’s pace advantage has disappeared.

In recent weeks, Mercedes and Ferrari have also introduced successful upgrades on their cars to join the battle at the sharp end of the field. As a result of the four-team fight, Verstappen’s lead has dropped from 84 points to 62 over Lando Norris.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has emphasized that Max Verstappen has “not been panicking”, but he approached the process positively.

“What’s really impressed me with Max is how he’s really engaged in this process. He’s not panicking. He’s working with the engineers. He’s explaining very clearly where the issues are. He’s putting the time and effort in.”

Elaborating on how Verstappen helps the team to make improvements, Horner has revealed that the Dutch driver has been constantly in contact with the engineers to improve the car.

“He was on Zoom calls last week, [and] he’ll be on the simulator before the next race. He’s really working hard at this. I think he’s shown great maturity as a world champion, the way he’s working with the engineering team.”

Reflecting on Red Bull’s current situation, Horner said that he is sure that the Austro-British outfit will return to top form given its technical strength.

“Nobody likes the situation we’re in at the moment. Nobody is happy with it. We’ve got to work really hard to turn it around. But the one thing this team has is strength in depth and talent. And we’ll come back.”