Red Bull's Christian Horner makes his feelings known on where Max Verstappen ranks in the list of all time greats
Red Bull's team boss, Christian Horner, recently ranked Max Verstappen among other F1 legends like Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Sebastian Vettel, etc. Horner believes that the Dutchman has achieved legendary status in F1.
Max Verstappen recently secured his fourth consecutive world championship in 2024 after winning the Las Vegas GP. This season has been one of the toughest for the Dutchman since he was not able to dominate like he did in 2022 and 2023. Drivers from McLaren and Ferrari drastically closed the gap and challenged Red Bull fiercely.
Despite facing tough competition from several drivers, especially McLaren's Lando Norris, Verstappen was able to secure his fourth title, equalling his tally to Alain Prost and former Red Bull star, Sebastian Vettel.
Speaking on the talkSPORT podcast on YouTube, Christian Horner was asked where Max Verstappen stands in terms of legendary status in F1. To this, the Brit opined that Verstappen has already joined the group of F1 greats. He added how he equaled Prost's title tally and managed to win more championships than Ayrton Senna.
He then mentioned that only a handful of drivers like Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, and Juan Manuel Fangio have secured more titles than Verstappen as of now.
"I think he joins that group now. I think he really is one of the greats. When you talk about, I mean, the company that he is now with like Prost, he has now exceeded what Ayrton Senna achieved. There is very few that have gone on to achieve more...Schumacher, Hamilton and obviously Fangio," Horner said at 2:59.
Max Verstappen is now a four-time world champion going into the 2025 F1 season. If he manages to secure another title next year, he would equal his tally to Juan Manuel Fangio, only leaving Schumacher and Hamilton above him.
Red Bull boss showered praises on Max Verstappen's ability to compete at a high level in a slower car
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner praised Max Verstappen for his "incredible" drive during the 2024 F1 season despite not driving the fastest car. Speaking on talkSPORT podcast, Horner admitted that Red Bull no longer had the fastest car on the grid after a certain point in the season.
Hence, he praised Verstappen even more for delivering consistently in most races and putting up a fight against McLaren and Ferrari drivers.
"He is an incredible talent, he is still evolving he is still getting better. I think this year was arguably his strongest year because we did not have the strongest car this year for elements of the season. We were on a little bit of a back foot, and he has delivered incredibly consistently and really punched above his weight," Horner said at 3:19.
Max Verstappen ended the 2024 F1 season with 437 points, while Lando Norris remained second with 374 points.